Posted by Ronald Hardy at Green Party Watch.
Unless I am mistaken, this is also the best result ever for any nationally organized party other than Democrats or Republicans which is still in existence. I know it beats the Libertarians best showing ever of 18% (MA, 2002). Readers can correct me in the comments if they know of other nationally organized parties that have done better in US Senate races.
UPDATE: In the comments, Peter Orvetti and Richard Winger point out that several Socialists received higher percentages of the vote for US Senate in the 1910s. This gets into the question of which parties are nationally organized, since the Socialists no longer have ballot status or active chapters in most states, but did receive national media coverage and the theoretical ability to win the presidency through a combination of ballot-listed and registered write-in votes in this year’s election. Additionally, the Prohibition Party, which still exists but has an even more tenuous claim on being nationally organized, got 26% of the vote in a US Senate race in California in 1932.
Disclosure: I and friends I recruited got the bulk of the signatures to get the Green Party on the Arkansas ballot in 2006 and 2008.
Rebekah Kennedy, running for U.S. Senate in a head to head race against conservative Democrat Mark Pryor in Arkansas, took in 206,504 votes for 20.54% of the vote. This is the highest percent vote return of any Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate ever. Furthermore, 206,504 votes is the second most number of votes won by a Green Party U.S. Senate candidate ever, second only to Medea Benjamin’s 2000 Senate race in California (326,828). For a brief history of Green U.S. Senate candidates click here.
In Illinois, Kathy Cummings pulled in 115,621 votes for 2.56%, the fifth highest number of votes for a Green Senate candidate.
In Colorado, Bob Kinsey won 46,014 votes for 2.13%.
In Michigan, Harvey Mikkelson won 44,439 votes for 0.92%.
In Washington D.C., Keith Ware’s 14,602 votes netted him 7.45%, which puts him in the top 10 highest vote percents for Green Senate candidates.
Chris Lugo in Tennessee took 9,103 votes for 0.38&, and Steve Larrick in Nebraska took in 7,235 votes for 0.95%.
All told, these seven candidates won 443,518 votes, the most votes for a Green Party slate of candidates since the 2000 election, when Medea Benjamin and 9 other candidates brought in over 700,000 votes. This should be seen as a good sign for the Green Party.
My spreadsheet listing Green Party US Senate candidates is on Google docs, and it is mostly based on the excellent Green Party Election Database.
15 responses so far ↓
1 HumbleTravis // Nov 7, 2008 at 3:36 am
Which LP candidate got 19%?
2 paulie cannoli // Nov 7, 2008 at 3:44 am
Michael Cloud in Mass was in a two way against Ted Kennedy in 02. I thought it was 19% but wikipedia says 17%. I think that’s the best ever for the LP, but I could be wrong.
Do you know the best ever for the CP?
3 HumbleTravis // Nov 7, 2008 at 3:48 am
“The Constitution Party’s best showing in a U.S. Senate race in its entire history was in Ohio in 1994, when Joseph Slovenec polled 7.33% in a race that also had a Democrat and a Republican.”
http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/10/13/oregon-3-candidate-poll-for-us-senate/
4 paulie cannoli // Nov 7, 2008 at 3:52 am
If we consider the Socialist and Prohibition parties to be nationally organized, it’s possible they did better than this many decades ago, when they were a lot stronger; I haven’t checked.
5 Peter Orvetti // Nov 7, 2008 at 4:00 am
Victor Berger got 26% running for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin in 1918:
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/artifacts/archives/003326.asp
6 richardwinger // Nov 7, 2008 at 9:55 am
In 1996, the Alaska Green Party outpolled the Democratic Party in the US Senate race. Ted Whittaker, the Green, got 12.58%. That is the only instance when a Green nominee for US Senate outpolled either major party’s nominee, so I would say that is the most impressive Green showing ever for US Senate.
7 richardwinger // Nov 7, 2008 at 10:01 am
Besides the special Wisconsin 1918 election mentioned above, Socialist Party Senate nominees who got a higher percent than Rebekah Kennedy include two in 1914: in Nevada, A. Grant Miller got 25.28%; in Oklahoma, Patrick Nagle got 20.99%. They both had both a Democratic and a Republican opponent.
In 1916, A. Grant Miller in Nevada got 28.92%, again against both a Democrat and a Republican.
8 richardwinger // Nov 7, 2008 at 10:06 am
The Prohibition Party’s best showing in a US Senate race was in California in 1932. Robert P. Shuler got 25.78%, against both a Democrat and a Republican. He carried Orange and Riverside Counties. He was a well-known radio evangelist.
9 richardwinger // Nov 7, 2008 at 10:12 am
The highest percentage Libertarian showing for US Senate, Michael Cloud in 2002, was against John Kerry, not Ted Kennedy. Cloud got 18.48% (369,807 votes) in a race with no Republican.
10 paulie cannoli // Nov 7, 2008 at 11:57 am
Thanks for the info. I updated the post again. For some reason wikipedia had Cloud at 16.7%.
How did the Democrats manage to do so poorly in Alaska in ’96?
11 Deran // Nov 7, 2008 at 1:31 pm
“; in Oklahoma, Patrick Nagle got 20.99%”
A Socialist getting 20% in Oklahoma; my how things have changed in 94 years.
12 richardwinger // Nov 7, 2008 at 6:30 pm
After the 1914 election, there were 6 Socialists in the Oklahoma legislature. I’m not sure what part of Oklahoma elected them, but for Governor in 1914, the Socialist’s best county was Marshall County, where the Socialist got 41% in a 5-person race. Marshall County borders Texas. It was farmers who voted Socialist in Oklahoma in the 1910′s.
13 LaineRBT // Nov 7, 2008 at 8:02 pm
RE: 1996 Alaska Senate Race.
Mrs. Obermeyer was the Democratic candidate that year and during the summer leading up to the election had to serve 30 days in a federal prison due to violating parole. She went to jail again when she tried to break into a meeting that Stevens was holding. I guess a lot of Democrats didn’t feel like supporting a criminal that year.
14 LaineRBT // Nov 7, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Though apparently plenty of Republicans feel fine with supporting a convicted felon this year .
15 paulie cannoli // Nov 7, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Republicans are more ruthless that way.
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