According to a post at Ballot Access News, Green Party State Representative candidate Richard Carroll faces only write-in opposition as the Democratic Party in Arkansas has changed internal party rules designed to bar Dwayne Dobbins from running for re-election.
Dobbins has plead guilty to sexually assaulting a 17 year old girl. The new party rules bar anyone from running as a Democrat if they have resigned a public office as part of a plea bargain.
It would seem that this turn of events bodes well for Carroll. While the Democratic Party does plan a write-in campaign in support of Clinton R. Hampton, this represents a solid opportunity to elect another Green to a state legislature, the Green Party’s fourth.
well, I mean 10-15% of people voting in that election.
One has to factor in the district being 65%ish African-American, and Obama the Dem nominee when it comes to turnout. Idk if the Dem write-in is African-American though.
M.D. – The Green will get way more than 10-15% unless the district is weird. As you said, in one-on-one races, Greens tend to get maybe 15-25% or more. It is disgusting how many people vote for someone who is the only candidate in a given race. I’ll bet the Green gets at least 25% of the vote without trying.
And didn’t Bock run, or threaten to run as a Democrat, against Barbara Lee, because Lee opposed the invasion of Afghanistan and the PATRIOT Act? It was one of those sad/stupid “sept 11 changed everything” moments.
Audie Bock actually ran as an Independent and lost by 45ish points. She ran as a pro-Recall Democrat later, IIRC.
As for this race, i’d imagine the electorate might break down like this
10-15% would vote Green (a Green lost 82/18 in a one-on-one statewide race in 2006), maybe a few more under the Jenness precedent (where people voted for SWP electors because they were the only thing on the page and they didn’t know better)
A large percentage will skip the race.
But there’s a write-in candidate from the Dems.
So this race could play out with the Dems getting people to write in their candidate. (Idk if stickers are allowed)
Has the deadline for write-ins passed? if not, then Dobbins could run as a write-in and win
Oh, I don’t disagree G.E. The truth is, the state legislative seats we have held are a mixed bag. One was Matt Ahern in New Jersey. He was elected and as I remember was gerrymandered into a district he was unlikely to win, and joined the Green Party for his last few months…but I’ll take it!
The first state legislator, Audie Bock, was elected in California, quit the party, once elected, to be a Democrat and was beaten the next time she ran, this time as a Democrat. So, she won as a Green and lost as a Democrat.
The shining star is John Eder. Elected twice to the Maine legislature, Eder was terrific. He sought and won staff for the Green Party at the state legislature, pointing out that the Democratic and Republican caucus had staff, and even if he *was* the Green Caucus, the caucus was nonetheless entitled to staff. He lost in the last election in a close race where both corporate parties were glad to see him go.
No, I am not going to assume anything. In fact I intend to learn a bit more about Carroll and if all checks out well I hope to help raise some cash for his campaign. The Democrats are much less inclined to go up against a man who is on the ballot if he’s also got a few thousand dollars to spend.
Not for state rep, but Drain Commissioner… And there was no sex scandal that I know of, but a ballot-access snafu.
Don’t count this chicken quite yet, Gregg.
We did elect a partisan Green, barely, in Michigan under a similar situation. She then got trounced four years later.
You know, if they but Dobbins on the ballot, he’d probably win. I don’t think anyone even unseats state legislatures anymore.
Sad.