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Analysis: What’s Next for the Green Party After Cornel West’s Departure?

Late last week, author and public intellectual Dr. Cornel West announced his departure from the Green Party and his decision to launch an independent presidential campaign “unaffiliated with any political party.”

In his press release, Cornel West referred to internal tensions within the party, hinting at conflicts that he described as the “intricacies of internal party dynamics.” These dynamics were cited as contributing to his decision to run as an independent candidate.

“I nod in solidarity to the Green Party for their shared values and commitment to justice. But my quest for the presidency belongs to the people. I believe the best way to challenge the entrenched system is by focusing 100% on the people, not on the intricacies of internal party dynamics,” West stated.

In response, the Green Party expressed gratitude to Cornel West for his contributions, acknowledging his efforts in assisting with ballot access in several locations. Last Thursday, the Steering Committee of the Green Party issued the following press release:

“The Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is surprised to learn of Dr. West’s decision to no longer seek the Green Party Presidential Nomination and to run as an independent. On behalf of the Green Party of the US, we thank Dr. West for his strong consideration towards running as a Green. We deeply appreciate the significant resources that the West campaign has already invested toward securing our party’s ballot lines in several states.” 

So now what happens?

Following Cornel West’s decision to withdraw from the race, Dr. Jill Stein, who previously ran as the Green Party’s presidential nominee in both 2012 and 2016, took to social media to announce her active search for a new candidate. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Stein stated:

“In light of Dr. West’s decision to run independently, we are in discussion with several former candidates about potentially entering the race to carry the Green Party’s anti-war, pro-worker, climate emergency agenda into this critical election.”

However, nearly a dozen candidates are still actively competing for the Green Party’s presidential nomination, unrelated to Stein’s efforts to recruit a new candidate.

The Green Party convenes its quadrennial Presidential Nominating Convention (PNC) every four years to choose its candidates. In both 2020 and 2012, the Green Party’s Presidential Nominating Convention occurred in July. In 2016, it was held in early August. If this schedule remains consistent, the remaining candidates and whomever Jill Stein approaches have roughly ten months or less to present their candidacy to the party, garner support, and make their case before the convention takes place.

Furthermore, to be recognized by the Green Party, candidates must adhere to specific rules and meet certain requirements. The Green Party’s Presidential Campaign Support Committee assesses candidates vying for the party’s nomination based on a clearly outlined set of criteria. According to the party, candidates are obligated to:

  • Complete an internal questionnaire.
  • Have no formal affiliation with other political parties, except for certain progressive parties
  • Commit to appearing on Green Party ballot lines.
  • Maintain a dedicated campaign website with online donation capabilities.
  • Collect a minimum of 250 signatures of support from Green Party members.
  • Establish a federal campaign committee recognized by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).
  • Demonstrate a viable national campaign fundraising effort.

The specific criteria became an issue in 2020 when the Green Party removed what it defined as unqualified candidates off its website, leading to five of the removed to boycott the National Green Party. Another issue arose when the 2020 Green Party nominee Howie Hawkins also sought and received the nomination of the Socialist Party, violating the Green Party only section of the criteria.

Independent Political Report has identified eleven candidates who have officially filed with the Federal Election Commission to run as Green Party presidential candidates. This list of candidates comprises:

  • Adam Hollick from Maine
  • Anita Belle from Michigan
  • Emanuel Yi Pastreich from Massachusetts
  • Jackie Tate from New York
  • Mason Vicent Cysewski from North Dakota
  • Randy Toler from Florida
  • Robert Cooke IV from Texas
  • Tyler Gray from Tennessee
  • Jorge Zavala from California
  • Matthew McGowan from Mississippi
  • Jasmine D. Sherman from North Carolina

In addition to the names listed on the FEC website, an additional candidate who is not currently listed but has received recognition elsewhere is running for the nomination. They are Avatar Navi (DeShaun Davis) from New York.

It’s important to note that, according to the Green Party’s criteria, candidates who have not filed FEC paperwork cannot be officially recognized by the party. Additionally, even among the eleven candidates who have filed with the FEC at one point, not all have active campaign websites capable of soliciting donations, another of the criteria outlined by the party.

A search conducted by Independent Political Report revealed that most listed candidates do not maintain easily discoverable campaign websites or sites that allow for donations, and those who do, like Toler and Belle, have sites that are currently inaccessible to the public as of the article’s publication.

Moreover, it remains unclear at this point how many of the eleven individuals mentioned have successfully garnered the collective support of at least 250 Green Party members, another of the party’s specific criteria for recognition.

In the case of Avatar Navi, it’s worth noting that they maintain an active campaign website capable of soliciting donations. However, Independent Political Report has been unable to determine and confirm whether Navi has filed with the FEC since initially appearing at the 2023 Green Party Annual National Meeting.

For Jasmine Sherman, who has an active website that can solicit donations and maintains a publicly listed form to collect the signatures of Green Party members needed to be an official candidate, her most recent FEC paperwork does not depict her as a Green Party candidate. She is listed as unaffiliated on both her original filing as a candidate and her later campaign committee filing.

Of the mentioned names, only two individuals have met the criteria of having filed with the FEC, maintaining an accessible campaign website, identifying as a Green Party candidate, and providing supporters with a means to donate to his campaign. They are Emanuel Pastreich and Jorge Zavala.

However, Emanuel Pastreich, who currently serves as the President of the Asia Institute, made the decision to withdraw from the race less than two weeks ago. In a press release dated September 28, 2023, and posted on his now-former campaign website, Pastreich stated that although he remains open to future opportunities with the Green Party, he concluded that he wouldn’t have been able to mount a sufficiently funded campaign at this time.

“Pastreich, and his acting manager Chuck Fall, determined, after repeated efforts, that there were insufficient opportunities to raise the necessary funding to run even a minimal campaign within the Green Party,” the release read.

Given the remaining field and the majority of candidates failing to meet all recognition requirements, the largest challenge facing the Green Party now is its willingness to adhere to its own internal rules and policies. If Jill Stein can successfully persuade a candidate with prior name recognition and strong fundraising capabilities to join the race, the party might have an opportunity in an electoral landscape where the presumed Republican and Democratic nominees are extremely disliked by the other’s supporters.

Conversely, if the party bucks its own policies and instead attempts to push through a particular candidate, it risks creating a situation that could cause lasting harm to the organization.

Even with a candidate of higher profile, there remains a tight timeline for organizing a presidential campaign. Furthermore, another move to someone based purely off electoral appeal could potentially strain relations between the party and the candidates who are still actively running. It almost happened in 2020 and could likely happen again.

The upcoming Presidential Nominating Convention has the genuine potential to be a defining moment that shapes the Green Party’s identity. The choices made during this convention will likely leave a lasting imprint on the party’s trajectory and influence in the political landscape, extending well beyond the 2024 election cycle.

It’s challenging to envision a scenario where the party emerges without some level of discord among supporters. The question becomes how much discord is worth it.

5 Comments

  1. SocraticGadfly October 13, 2023

    Innnteresting. So, Cornel wanted to be “crowned,” and Stein had said, essentially, we’ll halfway grease the skids for you, but we can’t do more than that, and that wasn’t good enough for him.

    Meanwhile, I know that Peter Daou has to posture, like a campaign manager does, but if he really thinks they’ll get all 50 states, he’s more daft than West.

  2. George Whitfield October 12, 2023

    Thanks for posting the Politico story. It was very interesting and informative. I think Cornell West will perform poorly in the election results.

  3. H Tent October 9, 2023

    Ouch

  4. SocraticGadfly October 9, 2023

    “In some trouble” is the operative word. I wrote about the candidates list this summer, before West announced his GP run, and wasn’t impressed.

    Stein’s call includes former candidates. As for past nominees, I expect she’s not doing a third run. I don’t know if Howie Hawkins wants to do a second one. Cynthia McKinney is a Libertarian. Doubt Cobb is running.

    As for recent past candidates? Dario Hunter has not jumped up so far. Some “libertarian Greens” who have on occasion since 2020 formed independent state parties (not sure if they’re still active) may try to ramrod somebody.

    That’s what they tried in 2020 with Ventura, using Hunter as a stalking horse. Jesse then, and I presume today, doesn’t want to have actually run for the nomination, rather than just have it handed to him.

    So, yes … it will be interesting.

    Side note: The SPUSA, as I said on these pages last week, nominates later this month. We’ll see if Stein/Baraka target their nominee, whoever it is.

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