IL: Green Party Candidate Gains Momentum and Grassroots Support in Senate Race

Two links sent in via email from reader Dominik on the Green Party candidate for US Senate in Illinois, LeAlan Jones.  From NBC News:

A new Public Policy Poll released today shows Giannoulias leading Kirk, 31 percent to 30 percent. Those are terrible numbers for major party candidates. What’s really shocking is that a significant number of respondents say they plan to vote for a candidate they’ve never heard of: LeAlan Jones, the Green Party nominee.  Jones got 14 percent in the poll, even though 84 percent of voters say they have no opinion of him. . . .

“The beneficiary of the voter disgust with both Giannoulias and Kirk is Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones,” writes Tom Jensen on Public Policy Polling’s blog. “Despite being viewed favorably by only 2% of voters in the state he's pulling 14% in the horse race. Posing a particular problem for Giannoulias is that Jones is getting a remarkable 26% of the black vote right now.”

And, in a commentary for Chicago Now, Mark Allen writes:

Historic Illinois politics when the numbers are beginning to show that grassroots independent candidate LeAlan Jones has the foundation to be elected the next Illinois U.S. Senator in November. If Black, Hispanic and progressive grassroots organizers begin to meet NOW and look at the numbers, the they will clearly see that history can be made in November, not just by elected another Black U.S. Senator, but through a foundation of true grassroots community organizing. . . .

Green Party officials and supporters have reached out to me for dialogue and I will respond and meet with them and candidate Jones. We must challenge all media outlets to properly report how this grassroots candidate Jones is polling at almost 20% and almost 30% among Black voters. We are no just approaching July and have several good months to keep lifting Jones candidacy up in what is now a REAL live option in having Illinois maintain its historic designation as having the only Black United States Senator!

Today, another veteran Black activist Wallace "Gator" Bradley and I will hold some immediate strategy talks with about 300 Black grassroots activists and share with them the Huffington Post and NBC story that shows Jones strong polling numbers, and what could happen if hundreds and thousands of grassroots organizers in the city and across this state lift up the candidacy as GInnaoulius and Kirk continue their attacks on each other while totally ignoring the Black and poor people's agenda. And while thes two split the vote, Jones is showing the numbers today that can go no where but up if grassroots leaders begin to promote his candidacy!

Thanks Dominik!