The Green Party is a progressive political party in the United States that promotes environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice, and grassroots democracy. The party’s ideology is based on the Four Pillars: ecological wisdom, social justice, nonviolence, and grassroots democracy. The Green Party sees the interrelated crises of social injustice and environmental destruction as caused by the dominance of the two major political parties, the Democrats and Republicans. The Green Party was formed in 2001 as the evolution of the Association of State Green Parties, established in 1996. The party promotes environmentalism, sustainability, respect for diversity, peace, social justice, and grassroots democracy. The party has gradually gained elected officeholders across the U.S., with Greens elected at the local level in many states.
History
The origins of the Green Party trace back to 1984 when a small group of environmental activists formed the first Green political party in the U.S. called the Citizens Party. The party ran Dr. Barry Commoner for president in 1980 and again in 1984, but never gained much traction. In the late 1980s, some activists worked to form green parties at the state level. Activists formed the first Green state political parties in Alaska, California, Hawaii, and New Mexico in 1990. Over the next several years, more state-level Green parties were founded across the country.
In 1996, various state Green parties joined together to form the Association of State Green Parties. In 2001, the organization changed its name to the Green Party of the United States. The new national party’s first presidential ticket was Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke in 2000. The Green Party has run a candidate for president in every election since 1996, but has never received more than 2.7% of the popular vote for president. The party currently has around 250,000 registered members nationwide.
Ideology
The ideology of the Green Party is based on the Four Pillars:
- Ecological wisdom – Promoting environmentalism and sustainability.
- Social justice – Ending discrimination and promoting equality, diversity, and community empowerment.
- Nonviolence – Promoting nonviolent conflict resolution and rejection of war as an instrument of foreign policy.
- Grassroots democracy – Political and economic democracy and decentralization of power.
In general, the Green Party ideology tends to be left-leaning. The party supports policies such as:
- Strong environmental regulations and renewable energy
- Cutting military spending and promoting nonviolence
- Expanded social programs and benefits
- Racial, gender, and LGBTQ equality
- Immigration and refugee rights
- Publicly funded elections
- Workers’ rights and labor unions
The party views the Republican and Democratic parties as too beholden to corporate and wealthy interests to adequately address critical issues like climate change, rising economic inequality, institutional racism and sexism, and an overly aggressive U.S. foreign policy.
Policy Positions
The Green Party takes strong progressive stances on major policy issues:
Environmentalism
The Green Party makes environmental sustainability the centerpiece of its agenda. Key environmental policies include:
– Transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030.
– Banning fracking and new fossil fuel infrastructure.
– Ending subsidies to fossil fuel companies.
– Implementing a Green New Deal with massive public investment in renewable energy and green jobs.
– Improving fuel efficiency standards and investing in high-speed rail.
– Imposing a carbon fee and dividend to reduce emissions.
– Labeling GMOs in food products.
Economic Justice
The Green Party supports policies aimed at reducing economic inequality and ensuring basic standards of living, including:
– A universal basic income to guarantee basic economic security.
– A maximum income cap and higher taxes on the wealthy.
– Expanding social programs like healthcare, childcare, housing, and food security.
– Tuition-free public college and cancellation of student debt.
– Workplace democracy reforms like employee ownership of companies.
– Breaking up large banks and taxing financial speculation.
Criminal Justice
The Green Party views the current criminal justice system as unjust and racist. They advocate:
– Ending mass incarceration and the war on drugs.
– Abolishing the death penalty and three-strikes laws.
– Legalizing marijuana and treating substance abuse as a health issue.
– Demilitarizing the police, banning private prisons.
– Enacting police reforms like body cams, reviewing police brutality.
– Greater oversight and accountability for police misconduct.
Healthcare
The Green Party supports establishing a single-payer universal healthcare system by:
– Expanding Medicare to cover everyone.
– Eliminating private health insurance companies.
– Negotiating lower prescription drug prices.
– Increased funding for medical training programs.
– More spending on preventative medicine and public health.
– Integrative care like acupuncture, naturopathy, and herbal medicine.
Foreign Policy
The Green Party advocates a less aggressive, multilateral foreign policy based on international cooperation:
– Cutting military spending by at least 50%.
– Withdrawing U.S. troops from overseas bases and war zones.
– Joining the International Criminal Court and abiding by international law.
– Abolishing nuclear weapons and adhering to treaties.
– Rejoining the Iran nuclear deal and Paris climate agreement.
– Cutting foreign aid to countries violating human rights.
– Stopping arm sales and vowing not to use drones and landmines.
– More humanitarian aid and support for the UN and diplomacy.
Social Issues
The Green Party takes a progressive stance on key social issues:
| Issue | Green Party Position |
|---|---|
| Abortion | Pro-choice, repeal restrictions |
| LGBTQ Rights | Full equality, end discrimination |
| Racial Justice | Reparations, affirmative action |
| Immigration | Path to citizenship for illegal immigrants |
| Education | Free college, cancel student debt |
| Gun Control | Ban assault weapons, instate background checks |
Base of Support
The Green Party receives most of its votes from progressive urban and suburban areas, particularly on the West Coast. Support tends to be concentrated among:
– Young voters and students
– Environmentalists
– Peace activists
– Progressive Democrats dissatisfied with the party
– Democratic Socialists and far left
– Third parties and independents
The Green Party has not gained widespread support, with only around 1% of the popular vote in recent presidential elections. Their insistence on grassroots organizing and refusal to accept corporate donations limits their ability to run expensive campaigns and air TV ads like the major parties. They also face challenges from the stigma of being a “spoiler” that may siphon votes from Democrats.
Elected Officials
While the Green Party has not had electoral success in national races, they have slowly accumulated elected officials at the state and local level. As of 2022, there are:
- 143 elected Greens nationwide
- 71 local officeholders
- Around 100 partisan elected officials
- Over 20 appointed officials
Greens have been elected to various municipal and county positions like city council, school board, county supervisor, and utility district commissioner. The party has also managed to elect state legislators in Arkansas, California, and Maine. The highest elected Green is Pennsylvania state representative Paul Glover. Despite gradual growth over the years, the party has struggled to expand beyond isolated local strongholds.
Presidential Elections
The Green Party has run a candidate for president in every election since 1996. They have performed most successfully in the 2000 and 2016 elections:
| Election Year | Green Party Candidate | Popular Vote | Electoral Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Ralph Nader | 0.7% | 0 |
| 2000 | Ralph Nader | 2.7% | 0 |
| 2004 | David Cobb | 0.1% | 0 |
| 2008 | Cynthia McKinney | 0.1% | 0 |
| 2012 | Jill Stein | 0.4% | 0 |
| 2016 | Jill Stein | 1.1% | 0 |
| 2020 | Howie Hawkins | 0.2% | 0 |
Ralph Nader’s 2.7% of the vote in 2000 was the Green Party’s high point. Nader was accused of playing “spoiler” in the extremely close 2000 election between Bush and Gore. Jill Stein’s 1.1% in 2016 was likely boosted by dissatisfaction with the major party choices. Overall, the Green Party has not come close to winning electoral votes or attracting significant vote share.
Future Outlook
The Green Party faces significant challenges in expanding its electoral influence from just a handful of local strongholds. Key factors limiting their future success include:
– Lack of funding and resources compared to major parties
– Difficulty getting on ballots in all 50 states
– Media shutout from nationally televised debates
– Voters’ fear of “throwing away” votes
– Association with playing “spoiler” in close races
– Competition from progressive Democrats like Bernie Sanders
However, growing public concern over issues like climate change and economic inequality that the Green Party champions could potentially increase their support, especially among young voters. Their backing of progressive policies like Medicare for All and tuition-free college align with proposals popularized by Sanders progressives. If the party can overcome limitations in campaign resources and ballot access, they may slowly continue electing lawmakers in certain liberal areas as a third option beyond the two-party system. But any national electoral breakthrough remains a major challenge.
Conclusion
The Green Party advocates a set of core progressive policies centered on “Four Pillars” – ecology, social justice, nonviolence, and democracy. Despite nominating presidential candidates since 1996, the party has struggled to attract more than a very small percentage of the national popular vote. However, the Greens have found some success electing local and state officials across the U.S. While significant growth obstacles remain, the party provides an ideological home for environmentalists, peace activists, and disaffected liberals seeking an alternative on the left to the two-party duopoly. With public concern rising over major issues like climate change, the Green platform could potentially gain more appeal in the future, albeit still on the political fringes.