Mountain Party gubernatorial candidate Jesse Johnson endorsed by West Virginia Citizen Action Fund

Mountain Party gubernatorial candidate Jesse Johnson endorsed by West Virginia Citizen Action Fund

Distributed by the Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org

Jesse Johnson for Governor of West Virginia http://www.jesse4wvgov.org
West Virginia Mountain Party http://www.mtparty.org

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Contact: Mountain Party Press, 304-552-6167, or Jesse Johnson, 304-541-9841

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Jesse Johnson campaign for Governor of West Virginia was endorsed by West Virginia Citizen Action Fund

The Citizen Action Fund, a new political action committee formed by West Virginia Citizen Action Group, is the state's oldest consumer protection and government watch-dog organization.

The endorsement, announced last week and reporterd in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch ("Citizen group announces endorsements," Oct. 19, http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x107810239/Citizen-group-announces-endorsements) recognizes Jesse Johnson's outspoken advocacy for West Virginians in public health, the environment, workers' and consumers' protections, transition to clean alternative energy, and other areas.

"The CAF endorsement clearly acknowledges Jesse as the gubernatorial candidate who will fight for the people of West Virginia instead of powerful corporate interests who've treated the state like a dumping ground," said Lesia Angel, Deputy Commissioner of the Mountain Party.

"Because of mountaintop removal and the power of the coal companies, West Virginia has become ground zero for global climate change in the US," said Jesse Johnson. "The Interior Department is now relaxing rules on mountaintop mining, which will bring untold devastation to the natural environment and a massive threat to public health, through contamination of water and other resources. I'm the only nominee addressing this crisis, because the Democrat and Republican are too closely allied with the coal companies that are plundering West Virginia."

Johnson supporters also noted his strong opposition to a plan by Governor Manchin to allow electric transmission lines, which would allow private, out-of-state companies to take private property from West Virginia citizens and gouge ratepayers.

On October 3, Jesse Johnson was endorsed by the Sierra Club (http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2008/10/06/sierra-club-endorses-jesse-johnson-for-wv-governor/). Mr. Johnson is a former chair of the West Virginia Mountain Party, and as chair, he affiliated the Mountain Party with the Green Party of the United States (http://www.gp.org).

Video clip of Jesse Johnson speaking at a recent West Virginia Youth Commission forum: http://www.vimeo.com/2013238