Connecticut Green Party Gains Qualified Status for U.S. Senate for First Time
Connecticut, uniquely, makes a determination as to whether a party retains ballot qualification on an office-by-office basis. Last month, the Green Party polled enough votes for U.S. Senate to be ballot-qualified for that office in 2018. That is the first time the Green Party ever achieved that for U.S. Senate.
Other parties that are ballot-qualified for U.S. Senate are Democratic, Republican, Working Families, and Libertarian.
The Green Party had only been on the Connecticut ballot for U.S. Senate twice, in 2006, when it only got .52%, and in 2016, when it got 1.05%. The law requires at least 1%.
Progress!
It’s a pity Jill got 6,000 more votes than Russell got, considering it has got to be considered a “safe seat” for Blumenthal. And it’s always nice whenever the Greens manage to beat the Libertarian candidate, lol.
The Green didn’t beat the Libertarian for US Senate. Jeffrey Russell got 16,713 (1.05%) and Richard Lion got 18,190 (1.14%). And Johnson got 30,500 more votes than Lion.
The Greens did beat the Libertarians in the 2nd Congressional district, though, as they have for 3 out of the last 4 election cycles. Jonathan Pelto got 5,332 (1.61%) and Daniel Reale got 4,949 (1.50%). Which is weird, because the 2nd is the Libertarian’s best district and I’d have thought the Greens would do better in the 1st or 3rd, where the Libertarians haven’t fielded a candidate since 1984. The Green candidate got 2.10% in the 1st.
2016 was only the 2nd time the Libertarians retained ballot access for US Senate. The first time was the last election, in 2012.
I know, Jim. I phrased my statement poorly. What I meant was that Jill got 6,000 more votes as a presidential candidate then Russell got as a Senate candidate, and it’s a shame, as it was a solid Democratic seat, so those 6,000 Jill voters should also have supported Russell, which would have put him 4,000 votes over the Libertarian candidate.
And with those numbers, I’m surprised the Libertarians don’t do better there. I realize that Connecticut is a smaller state, but you’d still think the Libertarian message would resonate there, especially when the Republicans won’t be winning a Senate seat there anytime soon.