Green Party Fields a record number of candidates for May 8 Primary

Press Release: For Immediate Release

Green Party Fields a record number of candidates for May 8 Primary. Candidates to be showcased at April 7 Convention in Columbus.

The Ohio Green Party is pleased to announce a record number of candidates running in the May 8th primary. At the top of the ticket are Constance Gadell-Newton and Brett Joseph running for Governor and Lt. Governor. Constance is a defense attorney in Columbus. Brett is also a lawyer. He has a Ph.D., and is an instructor in sustainability. They have to get at least 3% of the gubernatorial vote in the November election or the Green Party will lose its Minor Party status. Recent changes in Ohio’s election laws make it much more difficult for Minor Parties to exist. The Green Party is the only remaining Minor Party in Ohio.

Other candidates from all over the State have also chosen to run on the Green Party line. Ohioans will be able to vote for a record 11 Green candidates in the 2018 primary. Half of them ran successful petition drives, and their names will appear directly on the primary ballot. The others are running as write-in candidates. Philena Irene Farley and Paul Curry, are the Green Party’s endorsed write-in candidates for U.S. Senate and Treasurer of State, respectively. As state-wide candidates, they will need to get at least 500 write in votes in order to appear on the fall ballot. The local write-in candidates will each need at least 25 votes. All are running unopposed for their spot on the ballot.

“We’re overjoyed that so many Ohioans have chosen to step forward at this critical time. We are challenging the two-party “system” by giving voters a real choice in this primary,” said Joe DeMare, Political Director for the Ohio Green Party. “These brave women and men are making great sacrifices of their time and resources to bring Grassroots Democracy back into our politics and to fight the corrupting influence of corporate PAC’s.” Green Party candidates are pledged not to take donations from corporate PAC’s.

In Ohio, the only way to join a political Party is to ask for that Party’s ballot in the primary election. The Ohio Green Party grew significantly in the last two state-wide primaries, almost doubling in size each time. The Party is hoping to grow again this time.

The Ohio Green Party’s biennial Convention will be held April 7, at 2231 North High Street in Columbus from 10am until 4pm. Register Here The Convention is the highest authority according to the Green Party’s bylaws. The morning session will be spent working on bylaws and rule changes. The afternoon session will showcase the Party’s candidates, past, present, and future.

Eight of the eleven candidates have been officially endorsed by the Ohio Green Party so far. Three are still under consideration. One candidate in, J. Condit Jr, is not a Green or endorsed by the Ohio Green Party. He is a Republican who voted for Trump in the 2016 primary.

For more information: Joe DeMare 419-973-5841, Kevin Fay, etc. www.constanceforohio.org, www.ohiogreens.org.