A Strong Showing
Although the final results are still coming in from some areas of the state, it is clear that people want change in Colorado. The Greens ran three candidates this year, and each had a considerable showing from the Green and Independent communities!
This was the first time since 2002 that the Green Party of Colorado has run a candidate for statewide office (Governor). And what a showing!
- Harry Hempy gained over 23,000 votes (1.2%) in his race against much better funded opponents.
- Gary Swing earned almost 5,000 votes in a hotly contested race in his district.
- Martin Wirth garnered over 12,000 votes (25%) in a very conservative district where his only opposition was a Republican.
What does all this mean?
Half of the electorate never bothered to vote. Harry Hempy received twice as many votes as there are registered Greens. Even in a contested race, we have thousands of supporters. Colorado WANTS Greens in government! And we’re not alone. In New York, the Greens gained major party status!
Get the Word Out!
The cycle starts again! Look around at your community. Do you know some people that are Green and maybe don’t realize it? Talk to your family, neighbors, and co-workers about the Green Party and what a Green government would look like.
Run for Office
Consider running for office in your area. Start locally, with a run for a school board position or even city council. Stepping up to represent your community is a big step, but you will find that many of those closest to you will lend their support. Let us know if you or someone you know would like to run for office on the Green Party ticket!
Thanks for posting this. The vote results should be updated with the final official results.
In the race that I ran as a Green Party candidate for US Representative in Colorado’s Sixth Congressional District, I spent 0.42 cents per vote ($237 total) for the 5,256 votes I received (1.96%). Spending by or on behalf of Republican incumbent Mike Coffman totaled $9,686,624 or $69.25 for each of his 139,869 votes. Spending by or on behalf of Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff totaled $8,393,552 or $72.93 for each of his 115,090 votes. Romanoff made a great show of not accepting PAC funds for his campaign. This is technically correct as the $3,742,408 in PAC funds that were spent on behalf of Andrew Romanoff’s campaign were outside expenditures that were not funneled directly through his campaign committee.