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Hawkins Wins Green Nomination
Hawkins Easily Wins Green Nomination for US Senate vs. Clinton
Malachy McCourt Wins Nomination for Governor
Peace, Global Warming, Health Care Top Green Election Agenda |
For More Information:
Sally Kim, (518) 364-2968, green_sallyk@yahoo.com
Howie Hawkins 315-425-1019, hhawkins@igc.org
(Albany) Longtime peace activist Howie Hawkins easily won the Green Party nomination Saturday afternoon to face Hillary Clinton in the race for Senate.
The Green Party launched its effort to reclaim official ballot status in New York State by nominating author and Irish activist Malachy McCourt for Governor. McCourt, winning in a landslide, is widely viewed as having the name recognition and public support needed to get over the 50,000 votes need for Governor.
Also nominated for statewide office was labor and lesbian activist Allison Duncan, for Lt. Governor; attorney Rachel Treichler, a former Green Party Congressional candidate, for Attorney General; and, former New York City Mayoral candidate Julia Willebrand for Comptroller
Hawkins will challenge Clinton over the war in Iraq. The Greens support bringing the troops home immediately and believe that President Bush should be impeached for lying to the country about the reasons for the illegal invasion. "We have to stop going to war for oil," stated Hawkins.
In Iran, Hawkins supports diplomacy rather than military confrontation. Hawkins supports the nuclear disarmament of all countries.
Hawkins, a member of the Teamsters Union, won 12,616 votes among Green Party State Committee members, which is weighted based on the prior Gubernatorial election results. Sandor Hicks, a 9/11 Truth Activist, won 2,778 votes. Steve Greenfield, a New Paltz resident, finished third with 2,752 votes.
Hawkins and the Greens will challenge the two major parties, including both Bill and Hillary Clinton, for failing to respond to the growing threat posed by global warming. Hawkins supports major investments in energy conservation and efficiency, as well as an investment in renewable energy sources such as solar and technology. The Greens believe such investments will produce much needed job creation, especially in upstate New York.
Other key green issues in the 2006 election include abolition of the death penalty, same-sex marriage, reproductive freedom, living wage jobs, immigration rights, mass transit and agriculture sustainability. The Greens support the shutdown of nuclear power plants, starting with Indian Point.
Hawkins supports shifting more of the tax burden at the state and federal level to the wealthiest taxpayers and polluters rather than low and moderate income Americans. Hawkins opposed the recent Congressional vote for a $70 billion tax cut package that overwhelmingly favored the rich. Hawkins believes that a fairer tax system would allow for increased state and federal funding of schools, reducing the burden on local property taxpayers.
"Every politician tells you that they want to cut taxes. What they don't tell you is that they want to cut taxes for the rich while cutting essential services and shifting more of the tax burden onto working families," added Hawkins.
While the Greens failed to retain ballot status in 2002 when Stanley Aronowitz fell eight thousand votes short (41,797) of the 50,000 mark, they successfully sued in federal court to retain the right to enroll as Greens. 36,141 New Yorkers are presently enrolled Greens. The Greens will need to collect 15,000 signatures from registered voters (of any party) to get on the ballot this fall.
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 *Website by David Doonan, Labor Donated to Hawkins for Senate Campaign* |
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