IL: Greens Running Full Slate of Candidates

At the Free Independent Sun, Jack Wagner provides a roundup of the slate of candidates being fielded by the Green Party in Illinois in 2010.  From governor to county commissioner, Wagner lists no less than 46 candidates running under the Green Party banner in the Prairie State.  He writes:

Citizens of Illinois will not be short of strong Green Party candidates to vote for in the November, 2010 election. From local county offices to the office of Governor, The Green Party of Illinois has begun to build momentum and prove themselves as a viable alternative to both the Democratic and Republican Parties. For Progressives of Illinois and the rest of the Nation, this strong battle-ground is the absolute best place to send a signal to the Democratic leadership in Washington, and to the President himself (who until recently served as U.S. Senator from Illinois) without “spoiling” the election. In 2006, the Green Party Gubernatorial Candidate received over 10% of the vote, yet did not cause the Republican candidate to win, finally, without question, a vote for Green was a vote for Green.

Greens, Progressives and Populists around the country would get the most bang for their buck if they were to divert some of their energy and resources to helping the Green Party of Illinois run their slate of candidates. Four particular campaigns, Rich Whitney for Governor, Matt Reichel for U.S. House, Jeremy Karpen for State Representative and Tom Tresser for President of the Cook County Board, have been building ground in their respective arenas, gaining hard fought after media attention and praise from leaders around the country.

Many of these campaigns are still very small, and some don’t even have campaign sites up. Contacting the State Party would be the best bet if someone wanted to help these particular campaigns. Calling friends in Illinois and letting them know the names of candidates and offices being contended for is another great action one could take.