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 2016 U.S. presidential election |
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| Republican Party |
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| Third parties |
| Related races |
The2016 Green Party presidential primaries were a series ofprimaries,caucuses andstate conventions in which voters elected delegates to represent a candidate for theGreen Party's nominee forPresident of the United States at the2016 Green National Convention. The primaries, held in numerous states on various dates from January to July 2016, featured elections publicly funded and held as an alternative ballot, concurrent with theDemocratic andRepublican primaries, and elections privately funded by the Green Party, held non-concurrently with the major party primaries. Over 400 delegates to the Green National Convention were elected in these primaries, with a candidate needing a simple majority of these delegates to become the party's nominee for president.[1][2]
A total of six candidates stood in the primaries, including the preceding Green nominee for president in the2012 presidential election,Jill Stein, whosought the nomination for a second time. Other candidates includedSedinam Moyowasifza-Curry, who had previously worked as a campaign manager for thepresidential campaign of the Green Party's 2008 nominee,Cynthia McKinney, in addition to singer-songwriter andEarth First! activistDarryl Cherney,perennial candidateKent Mesplay,University of South Carolina professor William Kreml, and youth rights activist Elijah Manley.
Formal recognition is a requirement to be the Green Party's nominee.[3] On May 4, the Green Party of the United States formally recognized William Kreml andJill Stein as candidates for its presidential nomination. On June 15, the Stein campaign announced that it had received 203 delegates, enough to win the nomination on the first ballot at the National Convention. Jill Stein formally won the nomination on August 6, during the2016 Green National Convention.[4]
As the Green Party presidential candidate in the2016 United States presidential election Stein received 1,457,222 votes or 1.06% of the popular vote.[5] Stein received zero electoral college votes.
The2016 United States presidential election was the fourth contested by the Green Party of the United States since they split from theGreens/Green Party USA (G/GPUSA) in 2001. The2004 presidential election saw Green nomineeDavid Cobb appear on ballots in 27 states plus theDistrict of Columbia, and received 0.10% of the popular vote, losing out to many other candidates and parties on the ballot, including third-placed independentRalph Nader, who had been the presidential nominee of the G/GPUSA in the 1996 and 2000 elections.[6] In the2008 election,Cynthia McKinney was nominated as the Green Party's candidate for the presidency and had ballot access to 32 states plus DC. However, McKinney insignificantly improved upon Cobb's performance, capturing only 0.12% of the popular vote in an election that also saw Nader finish a strong third behind the Democratic and Republican parties.[7]
Having received minimal publicity in the previous elections, thus contributing to the low voting share that the party received, the Green Party gained significant exposure and media attention in the lead-up to the2012 Green National Convention and the2012 presidential election, starting with media personalityRoseanne Barr's announcement of her presidential run with the Green Party.[8][9][10] Using the publicity gained from the announcement, Barr praised the Green Party and championed their beliefs through interviews and public statements, which were often profane and harshly critical of both the Democratic and Republican parties.[11][12] Barr, however, lost the nomination at the 2012 Green National Convention to physician and activistJill Stein, who had gained the support of Green Party delegates through her "Green New Deal" platform ofprogressive economic policies centered on the prevention of futurefinancial crisises and the acceleration ofglobal warming.[13][14]Stein's campaign for the presidency focused mostly on keeping the publicity gained by the Green Party and gaining support from independents and dissenting Democratic and Republican voters, often echoing resentment towards the two parties.[14] This included a court challenge against theCommission on Presidential Debates by Stein that sought to include her in the officialpresidential election debates.[15][16] Stein's campaign also gained media attention and exposure through a series ofnonviolent protests, including those against the presidential debates,[17][18] theKeystone XL pipeline,[19] andforeclosures,[20] which had Stein arrested, and even jailed, numerous times.[21]
On election day, Stein oversaw a relatively sharp rise in the Green Party's popularity, earning 0.36% of the popular vote (469,628 votes), across the Green Party's ballot access in 36 states plus DC.[22] The result was triple the amount Cynthia McKinney received in 2008, pushing the Green Party from a lower-tier third party to the second most popular third party, trailing behind theLibertarian Party, who had nominated the popular formerGovernor of New MexicoGary Johnson as their presidential candidate, also setting numerous Libertarian Party and presidential third party records.[23] The election also notably made Stein the most successfulfemale presidential candidate in U.S. history, surpassingLenora Fulani's bid for the presidency in the1988 election, with theNew Alliance Party, who had ballot access in all states plus DC and earned 217,219 votes that year.[24] Despite her success, however, Stein's campaign was criticized by those who felt that she had failed to capitalise on her momentum and gain an even bigger success.[25]
The nationalGreen Party of the United States officially recognized two candidates,Jill Stein and William Kreml,[26] while four additional candidates have appeared on several state—or territory—ballots.[27][28]
| Candidate | Most recent position | Campaign | Projected Delegates | Delegations with plurality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates formally recognized by GPUS | |||||
 Jill Stein | Lexington Town Meeting member (2005–2011) |  (Campaign •Endorsements •Website) | 269.5 / 402 (67%) | 34 AZ,CA,CO,CT,DE,FL,GA,HIIL,IA,LGC,LA,MA,MI,MS,MD,ME,MN,MO,NJ,NM,NY,OH,OR,PA,RI,TN,TX,VA,WA,DC,WV,WI,YGC | |
 Bill Kreml | Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina |  Endorsed Jill Stein[29] (Website) | 20.25 / 402 (5.05%) | 1 SC | |
| Other candidates | |||||
.png) Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry | People's National Convention organizer | (Website) | 13 / 402 (3.48%) | None | |
.jpg) Elijah Manley | Chapter President of theNational Youth Rights Association,Florida State Director of the Alliance Against Corporal Punishment (2015–Present) |  Endorsed Jill Stein (Website) | 10 / 402 (2.49%) | None | |
.jpg) Darryl Cherney | Earth First! organizer (1980–present) |  Endorsed Jill Stein (Website) | 7 / 402 (2.24%) | None | |
 Kent Mesplay | Inspector at the Air Pollution Control District ofSan Diego County (2001–2015) |  (WebsiteArchived November 11, 2020, at theWayback Machine) | 6 / 402 (1.74%) | None | |
| Alternate ballot options | |||||
| Other or None of the above | N/A | 10 / 402 (2.49%) | None | ||
The Green Party of New Mexico andStudents Organizing Action for Peace hosted a debate on April 9 at theUniversity of New Mexico's Student Union Building. The debate was streamed online through Burque Media Productions. All five candidates recognized by the national party were invited.[30][31]
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| Winning | Projected delegates | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | State | Candidate | Vote | Percent | Stein | Kreml | Curry | Mesplay | Cherney | Manley | Other | Total |
| February 17 | Illinois | Jill Stein | 119 | 87% | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23 |
| March 1 | Massachusetts | Jill Stein | 768 | 48% | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Minnesota | Jill Stein | 70 | 84% | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| March 19 | Maine | Jill Stein | - | - | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| March 22 | Arizona | Jill Stein | 688 | 79% | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| April 2 | Delaware | Jill Stein | 14 | 100% | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| April 3 | Virginia | Jill Stein | 35 | 76% | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Colorado | Jill Stein | - | - | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Ohio | Jill Stein | - | 61% | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| April 5 | Young Greens | Jill Stein | 66 | 92% | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| April 10 | Texas | Jill Stein | - | - | 15 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| April 16 | Wisconsin | Jill Stein | - | - | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| April 17 | New Jersey | Jill Stein | - | - | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| April 30 | Pennsylvania | Jill Stein | 50 | 83% | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Connecticut | Jill Stein | 24 | 89% | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| Missouri | Jill Stein | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| New Mexico | Jill Stein | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| South Carolina | William Kreml | 13 | 56% | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| May 15 | Washington | Jill Stein | - | - | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| May 21 | Mississippi | Jill Stein | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Oregon | Jill Stein | - | - | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| Rhode Island | Jill Stein | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| May 28 | Hawaii | Jill Stein | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| June 4 | Georgia | Jill Stein | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tennessee | Jill Stein | - | - | 3½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| June 7 | California | Jill Stein | 11,206 | 76% | 40 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| June 11 | New York | Jill Stein | 127 | 89% | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 |
| June 12 | Maryland | Jill Stein | 51 | 96% | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| June 14 | Washington, DC | Jill Stein | - | - | 4 | ¼ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| June 25[32] | North Carolina | Jill Stein | - | – | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| June 26 | Nebraska | Jill Stein | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| June 28 | Lavender Greens | Jill Stein | - | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| July 9 | Iowa | Jill Stein | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| July 16 | West Virginia | Jill Stein | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| July 30 | Louisiana | Jill Stein | - | - | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – | - | 4 |
| July 31 | Michigan | Jill Stein | - | - | 15 | ½ | – | – | – | – | - | 15 |
| Florida | Jill Stein | - | 58.88%[33] | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 25 | |
| - | Other | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 73 |
| Total | United States | 269½ | 20.25 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 402 | |||
Presidential primaries
