The Illinois Green Party polled almost 11% for Governor of Illinois. Since that is far above 5%, the party is ballot-qualified for all partisan office in the state for the next four years. The Massachusetts Green Party also regained party status, which it had lost in 2004.

However, Green hopes of gaining, retaining or regaining ballot status fell short in Arkansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and New York. In Alaska, for the first time in the party’s history (it has been on the ballot since 1990), the party failed to poll 3% for any statewide race, and it will go off the ballot.

UPDATE: Nebraska Greens and Nevada Greens also regained party status.

While CNN and MSNBC act as if there are only two (or one) candidates in each race, USA Today has comprehensive results for all parties in all races, including state legislature.

On their election page, they have a set of drop down menus with each state and the results, including Congress, state legislature, and initiatives.

On November 5, the chair of the Republican Party of Illinois, Andy McKenna, called a press conference to denounce the Green Party’s candidate for Governor, Richard Whitney. Whitney was a member of the Socialist Labor Party from the late 1970’s until 1993, and he was editor of the party’s national monthly newspaper, The People, 1989-1993.

Although convention wisdom dictates that the presence of Green Party candidates always injures Democrats, in the Illinois gubernatorial race, it is the Republican Party that fears the presence of the Green Party ticket. Republican gubernatorial nominee Judy Baar Topinka has attacked Whitney at least twice, but Democratic incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich has refused to comment.

Whitney said “I became disenchanted with the philosophy and left the party in 1992, a year before he moved to Illinois (he had lived in California previously)…I have not been a socialist for 14 years. When I got out of college in the 70’s, there were a lot of radical political groups around, and because of my devotion to working people, I was initially attracted to the socialist ideology.” He added that he became convinced workers need “both a healthy public sector and healthy private sector.”

The Socialist Labor Party was the original party of socialism in the United States. All other U.S. parties with “socialist” in their name can trace their roots to the Socialist Labor Party. The party last ran a presidential candidate in 1976, and last appeared on the ballot in a partisan election in 1985.