For the second time, the Green Party has won a state legislative election in Arkansas. Fred Smith, the Green Party nominee for State House, 50th district, was elected yesterday. His only ballot-listed opponent originally had been the incumbent Democrat, Hudson Hallum. However, Hallum resigned from the race because of an indictment. Smith might still have been defeated if the Democratic Party had rallied behind a write-in candidate, but the Democratic Party did not find anyone else to run.
Smith himself was a former legislator. When he was in the legislature in the past, he was a Democrat. He is also a former member of the Harlem Globetrotters. See this story.
In Maine, independent incumbent Ben Chipman, who has been closely associated with the Green Party and who was a member of the Green Party until he became an independent in 2010, was re-elected to the State House as an independent candidate.
Now let’s see if this fellow ends up a Democrat like the last “Green” elected to Arkansas’ state legislature.
Former Harlem Globetrotter. We’ll if he wants to be traded to the Democrats, we want a first draft pick in return along with a legislator to be named later.
Hallum resigned from the race because he was indicted by the feds for buying votes and other shenanigans (along with many other Democrats from Crittenden County, AR) in the special election last year that elected him to this seat. Why was there a special election last year? Because Democrat Fred Smith resigned from the seat in disgrace due to HIS indictments by the feds for stealing money for his own charity. Yes, this is the EXACT same Fred Smith that was just elected BACK to this seat as a Green because of Hallum’s resignation. Gotta love Arkansas politics!
Sadly, too many people think of the Democrats and the Republicans as being the major leagues while the Libertarians, the Greens, and everyone else are the minor leagues. I am a Green because I believe in about 80% of what the Green Party believes in. Of course, it was the 20% where I differ from the Green Party that cost me their endorsement. Less than half of the Green Party nominees in Arizona where actually endorsed by the party. I love the Green Party but unless one of their nominees is a neo-Nazi, the Democrats at least acknowledge the existance of their nominees.
Gerard Davis
2012 Green Party nominee for Arizona State Representative-District 24