For the second time in three election cycles, an Arkansas State Representative was elected to office as a Green, only to flip to the Democrats mid-term, and then lose re-election while running as a Democrat. That’s the opposite of how the dynamic usually works. But it reflects well on the Green Party and its voters in Arkansas. And it’s just another reminder that we’re not ‘third parties’, we’re opposition parties, equal to or better than our establishment counterparts.
As detailed in the June edition of Ballot Access News, Arkansas State Rep. Fred Smith was elected in 2012 as a Green Party candidate. He was originally a Democrat, elected to the same office in 2010. But just after taking office, he was convicted of theft of property delivered by mistake. Smith, a former Harlem Globetrotter and a popular figure in the state, was also the founder of a non-profit called Save Our Kids.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Save Our Kids was doing work for the local school district when the district accidentally issued a double payment to Smith’s charity. The charity deposited both payments without realizing it was a mistake. Just after being elected State Representative as a Democrat in 2010 and being convicted of the crime, Smith resigned from office, repaid the money and had the conviction expunged. While his Democratic allies urged state party leaders to stand by Smith, the party insisted he resign.
Read the full article here.