Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign

The 2020 presidential campaign of Howie Hawkins, both the co-founder of the Green Party of the United States and thrice its gubernatorial candidate in New York, was informally launched on April 3, 2019, when Hawkins announced the formation of an exploratory committee and formally announced his campaign on May 28, 2019, to seek the Green Party nomination for the presidency of the United States in the 2020 presidential election and later the Socialist Party USA.[6][7] On May 5, 2020, Hawkins announced that former Socialist Party USA vice presidential candidate Angela Nicole Walker would be his running mate.[8][9] Hawkins and Walker were nominated by the Green Party on July 11, 2020.

Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign
Campaign2020 presidential election
(Green)
Candidate
AffiliationGreen Party
Legal Marijuana Now[lower-alpha 1][2]
Socialist Party
Socialist Alternative[3][4]
Status
  • Formed exploratory committee: April 3, 2019
  • Announced: May 28, 2019
  • Official Socialist nominee: October 26, 2019
  • Official Green nominee: July 11, 2020
  • Lost election: November 7, 2020
HeadquartersSyracuse, New York
ReceiptsUS$463,084.18 [5] (October 31, 2020)
SloganFor an Ecosocialist Green New Deal
Website
howiehawkins.us
This article is part of a series about
Howie Hawkins
Gubernational campaigns
Political party affiliations

Hawkins also sought the nomination of the various state-based left-wing parties, including the Peace and Freedom Party, Legal Marijuana Now Party, Oregon Progressive Party, United Citizens Party, Liberty Union Party, and Vermont Progressive Party.[10]

Background

In the 1980s, Hawkins joined the green movement. In 1988, Howie and Murray Bookchin founded the Left Green Network "as a radical alternative to U.S. Green liberals", based around the principles of social ecology and libertarian municipalism.[11] In the early 1990s a press conference was held in Washington, D.C., that featured Charles Betz, Joni Whitmore, Hilda Mason, and Howie Hawkins to announce the formation of the Greens/Green Party USA.[12] Later in December 1999, Mike Feinstein and Hawkins wrote the Plan for a Single National Green Party which was the plan to organize the ASGP and GPUSA into a single Green Party.[13] Over the next decade he would run in multiple New York Senate and House races.[14]

In the 2010 New York gubernatorial election Hawkins surpassed the 50,000-vote requirement to stay on the ballot in the gubernatorial election. In the 2014 election, he received enough to move the Green Party line to Row D on the ballot as he had taken one-third more than the Working Families Party and twice as much as the Independence Party.[15] In the 2018 election, Hawkins received 80,000 fewer votes than he did in his 2014 run. As a result, the party was lowered one row down to Row E, but retained ballot access.[16]

In 2012, Hawkins was approached over the possibility of running for the Green Party presidential nomination. He declined due to his employment commitments at UPS, which he maintained would interfere with a national campaign.[17]

Following his retirement from UPS, Hawkins was approached again to run by a draft movement via a public letter addressed to him. The letter was signed by former Green vice presidential nominees Cheri Honkala and Ajamu Baraka, former Green mayoral candidate and Nader's 2008 running mate Matt Gonzalez, and other prominent Green Party members.[18]

Campaign

On April 3, 2019, Hawkins announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to prepare for a potential candidacy for the Green Party 2020 presidential nomination and formally launched his campaign on May 28, 2019, in Brooklyn, New York.[19][20][21] On June 21, 2020, Hawkins received enough delegates to win the Green Party's presidential nomination after winning delegates from the Green Party of Michigan and Lavender Caucus.[22] On July 11, he received the Green Party's presidential nomination with 210 delegates at the party's virtual convention.[23][24]

On October 26, 2019, Hawkins won the nomination of the Socialist Party USA as part of his effort to unite smaller left-wing parties.[25] In November, Hawkins was endorsed by Solidarity.[26] On March 3, 2020, Hawkins lost the Peace and Freedom Party primary to Gloria La Riva.[27] On August 13, 2020, he was endorsed by Socialist Alternative.[3] Hawkins also received the nomination of the Legal Marijuana Now Party.[28] In August 2020, Solidarity withdrew their endorsement following a poll of its members, instead taking no official position on the presidential election.[29]

Ballot access
Total electoral vote eligibility: 514[lower-alpha 2]
  On ballot (29 states + DC, 381 electoral votes)[31][32]
  Write-in (17 states, 133 electoral votes)[33]
  Not on ballot

On July 15, Hawkins sued Oklahoma over its $35,000 filing fee for president.[34] On September 1, the Green Party of Alaska nominated Jesse Ventura for president and Cynthia McKinney for vice-president instead of Hawkins and Walker.[35][36]

Rhode Island

On May 28, 2020, the Green Party of Rhode Island announced that it would not place a presidential candidate onto the ballot for the first time since 1996 citing the danger of Donald Trump winning reelection.[37][38] Hawkins later announced that he would petition as an independent candidate under the partisan label "Independent Left" in Rhode Island.[39] However, only 897 of the 1,000 signatures needed were validated preventing Hawkins from appearing on the Rhode Island ballot.[40]

Pennsylvania

A challenge was filed against Hawkins in Pennsylvania stating that the Green Party's stand-in candidates for president and vice-president had not submitted a declaration of candidacy. On September 9, Judge J. Andrew Crompton rejected a challenge to Hawkins being on the ballot in Pennsylvania although the challenge against Walker being on the ballot was accepted. Crompton ruled that Hawkins should appear on the ballot as the stand-in presidential candidate did submit a declaration of candidacy while the stand-in vice-presidential candidate had not.[41]

On September 10, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party appealed to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to remove Hawkins from the ballot.[42] The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ordered election officials to not print ballots until the court made a decision on whether or not Hawkins would appear on the ballot.[43] On September 17, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled five to two in favor of removing Hawkins from the ballot.[44] All five Democratic members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted to remove Hawkins while both Republican members voted to keep him on the ballot.[45]

Wisconsin

Hawkins' presidential petition in Wisconsin was challenged in August under the basis that Walker had changed her residence address within South Carolina.[46] On August 19, the staff of the Wisconsin Elections Commission recommended that Hawkins be removed from the ballot due to his petitions not having enough signatures when the signatures for the out-of-date postal address for Walker were removed.[47] On August 20, the commission voted three to three to remove Hawkins from the ballot; all of the Democratic members of the commission voted to remove Hawkins while the Republican members voted to keep him on the ballot.[48]

On September 3, Hawkins filed a lawsuit to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[49] On September 10, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered election officials to stop mailing out ballots until the court ruled on whether or not Hawkins and/or Kanye West could appear on the ballot.[50] The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled four to three in favor of the election commission on September 14, citing that Hawkins had waited too long to file a lawsuit and that it would cause too much disruption to place his name on the ballot.[51]

Campaign finance

On August 23, 2019, the Hawkins campaign announced they had met the requisite federal matching funds for California and New York.[52] Only his campaign and Steve Bullock's applied for primary season matching funds.[53] On July 9, 2020, the Hawkins campaign announced they achieved federal matching fund requirements in 20 necessary states, claiming they had raised $220,000 from 4,000 donors in over 7,000 total contributions.[54]

Political positions

Climate change

Hawkins supports the Green Party's version of the Green New Deal that would serve as a transitional plan to a one hundred percent clean, renewable energy by 2030 utilizing a carbon tax, jobs guarantee, free college, single-payer healthcare and a focus on using public programs.[55][56][57]

He is a critic of the Democratic version of the Green New Deal written by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, stating that "unfortunately, they took the brand but watered down the content".[58]

Democratic Party reform

Hawkins disagrees with the "party-within-the-party" approach to the Democratic Party advocated by organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America or by individuals such as Bernie Sanders.[59] Instead, he believes that socialists should build up an independent Left party.[59]

Participatory democracy

Hawkins advocates for expansion of town meetings, expanding their powers to enact legislation and granting them the power to recall representatives.[60]

Medicare for All

Hawkins views health care as a human right and a public good. His plan is to implement a single-payer National Health Insurance in which health care facilities are publicly owned, healthcare workers are salaried, and the system is governed by community boards elected by the public (two-thirds of the seats) and health care workers (one-third of the seats).

The system will be funded by allocating current public healthcare dollars (about 70% of current spending) to the system. The rest of the funding would come from progressive taxes on individuals/families, both earned and unearned income, who earn more than 150% of the adjusted Federal Poverty Level and on large corporations.[61]

Endorsements
Main article: List of Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign endorsements

Controversies

Dispute with Gloria La Riva

On February 20, 2020, Hawkins published a statement critical of his opponent in the Peace and Freedom Party nomination primary, Gloria La Riva, alleging that she supported "a 'safe strategy' of supporting Bernie Sanders in the 'battleground' states" and stating "you didn't join the Peace and Freedom Party to support Democrats."[62] LaRiva responded stating that it was "not an honest critique" and "[f]or Hawkins to further imply that he is the stronger supporter of Peace and Freedom is not convincing."[63] LaRiva won the Peace and Freedom Party's only primary contest in California, receiving 67% to Hawkins' 33%.[27]

Allegations of irregularities in the Green Party primary

On October 16, 2019, a joint candidate letter called for reform in the primary process in response to the party's announcement that it would remove unrecognized candidates from its website list that November, allegations of conflicts of interest, and an alleged violation of Green Party rules regarding Hawkins’ campaign for the Socialist Party's nomination.[64]

After the 2020 Green Party Nominating Convention named Hawkins as their presidential candidate, candidate Dario Hunter announced via Twitter that he would continue to pursue the presidency as an independent candidate.[65] Hunter cited alleged irregularities and undemocratic processes throughout the Green Party presidential primary, stating that party leaders had committed “ethical lapses” to ensure Hawkins nomination, and criticizing Hawkins’ for what he saw as his “imperialist perspective” and “CIA talking points.”[65][66]

Notes
  1. The Legal Marijuana Now Party originally nominated Mark Elsworth and later Rudy Reyes for president but later decided to nominate Hawkins.[1]
  2. The Alaska Green Party instead nominated Jesse Ventura for president with Cynthia McKinney as his running mate.[30]

References
  1. Winger, Richard (March 12, 2020). "Nebraska Legal Marijuana Now Party Leader Wins Democratic Congressional Nomination". Ballot Access News. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  2. @HowieHawkins (August 24, 2020). "Thank you to the members of the Legal Marijuana Now Party of Minnesota for their endorsement! It's time to legalize marijuana and end the war on drugs! Welcome to our growing #LeftUnity campaign! #LegalizeIt Read about our marijuana and drug policies at howiehawkins.us/legalize-marijuana-and-end-the-war-on-drugs/" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. Brightwell, Erin (August 13, 2020). "Trump in Trouble and Biden in Hiding: 2020 Presidential Elections". Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  4. Hawkins, Howie [@HowieHawkins] (August 21, 2020). "We are honored to have @SocialistAlt joining our #LeftUnity campaign! Don't let your voice get lost in the sauce and your vote taken for granted. Vote your values! Vote #HawkinsWalker Read more at hawkins20.us/SAlt" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. "HAWKINS, HOWIE - Candidate overview". FEC.gov.
  6. "Howie Hawkins, Syracuse resident, exploring run for Green Party presidential nod". Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  7. "Howie Hawkins, Syracuse resident, exploring run for Green Party presidential nod". Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  8. "Angela Walker for Vice President!". May 5, 2020.
  9. Saturn, William (May 5, 2020). "Howie Hawkins Announces Running Mate".
  10. "Howie Hawkins Wins Socialist Party USA Nomination, Green Candidate Seeks To Build Left Unity With Multiple Nominations". Ballot Access News. October 28, 2019. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020.
  11. Biehl, Janet (22 March 2015). "The Left Green Network (1988–91)". Ecology or Catastrophe. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  12. "Official Formation of the Green Party-USA". Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  13. "The Greens/Green Party USA". Archived from the original on 2017-08-10.
  14. "0-for-23: An Undeterred Green Party Candidate on His Long Losing Streak". Archived from the original on 2019-04-26.
  15. "Third party's profile rises". Archived from the original on 2018-11-18.
  16. "Howie Hawkins wins enough votes to keep Green Party status in NY". Archived from the original on 2019-04-12.
  17. "Why is Syracuse's Howie Hawkins running for president? 'It's hard to say no'". Archived from the original on 2019-04-10.
  18. "Sign On: Greens And Allies Urge Howie Hawkins To Seek Presidential Nomination". Archived from the original on 2019-04-02.
  19. robert.harding@lee.net, Robert Harding. "Howie Hawkins, Syracuse resident, exploring run for Green Party presidential nod". Auburn Citizen. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  20. "Howie Hawkins for President Exploratory Committee – A Green Ecosocialist for President". March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  21. "Howie Hawkins will seek Green nomination for president". Times Union. May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  22. "Howie Hawkins Now Has Enough Pledged Green Party Delegates to Win Presidential Nomination". Ballot Access News. June 21, 2020. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020.
  23. "Syracuse's Howie Hawkins is the Green Party's presidential candidate". Syracuse. July 11, 2020. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  24. "Green Party Nominates Howie Hawkins for President on First Ballot". Ballot Access News. July 11, 2020. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020.
  25. "Howie Hawkins wins Socialist Party USA nomination for 2020 presidential race". Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  26. "Howie Hawkins for President". Solidarity.
  27. "President Peace and Freedom". CA Sec. of State. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020.
  28. "Minnesota Will Have Eight Presidential Candidates on Ballot". Ballot Access News. August 25, 2020. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020.
  29. David Finkel (23 August 2020). "Solidarity's Election Poll". Solidarity. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  30. "Green Party of Alaska nominates Jesse Ventura for president". Must Read Alaska. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  32. "Alaska Green Party Nominates Jesse Ventura for President". Ballot Access News. September 1, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020.
  33. *"Ballot Access". Howie Hawkins 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020. *"LaRose Announces Determinations Regarding Certification of Independent Candidates for President of the United States". Ohio Secretary of State. August 21, 2020.
  34. "Howie Hawkins Files Federal Lawsuit Against Amount of Oklahoma Presidential Filing Fee". Ballot Access News. July 16, 2020. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  35. "Alaska Green Party Nominates Jesse Ventura for President". Ballot Access News. September 1, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020.
  36. "Green Party of Alaska nominates Jesse Ventura for president". Must Read Alaska. September 1, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020.
  37. "R.I. Green Party won't run a presidential candidate". Uprise Rhode Island. May 29, 2020. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  38. @RIGreens (May 28, 2020). "Green Party of Rhode Island won't run candidate" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  39. "Howie Hawkins Will Petition in Rhode Island With Partisan Label "Independent Left"". Ballot Access News. June 28, 2020. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  40. "Howie Hawkins' Rhode Island Petition Lacks Enough Valid Signatures". Ballot Access News. September 14, 2020. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020.
  41. "Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Keeps Howie Hawkins on the Ballot". Ballot Access News. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020.
  42. "Democratic Challengers to Howie Hawkins Ask Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Reverse Commonwealth Court". Ballot Access News. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020.
  43. "Pennsylvania Supreme Court Tells Election Officials Not to Print Ballots Until Green Party Ballot Access Case is Resolved". Ballot Access News. September 14, 2020. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020.
  44. "Pennsylvania Supreme Court Removes Howie Hawkins from Pennsylvania Ballot". Ballot Access News. September 17, 2020. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020.
  45. "Green Party candidate is ordered off Pennsylvania ballot". Associated Press. September 17, 2020. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020.
  46. "Howie Hawkins' Wisconsin Petition is Challenged". Ballot Access News. August 7, 2020. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  47. "Wisconsin Elections Commission Staff Recommends that Howie Hawkins and Kanye West Be Omitted from Ballot". Ballot Access News. August 19, 2020. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020.
  48. "Wisconsin Elections Commission Removes Howie Hawkins and Kanye West from Ballot". Ballot Access News. August 21, 2020. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020.
  49. "Howie Hawkins Files Wisconsin Ballot Access Lawsuit". Ballot Access News. September 3, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020.
  50. "Wisconsin Supreme Court Pauses Mailing of Absentee Ballots Until it Decides if Howie Hawkins and/or Kanye West Should be on Ballot". Ballot Access News. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020.
  51. "Wisconsin Supreme Court Keeps Howie Hawkins Off Ballot Because He Filed His Lawsuit Too Late". Ballot Access News. September 14, 2020. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020.
  52. Hawkins, Howie [@HowieHawkins20] (23 August 2019). "Thank you, @cagreenparty" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 August 2019 – via Twitter.
  53. "Montana Governor Steve Bullock Will Apply for Primary Season Matching Funds". Archived from the original on 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  54. "Hawkins/Walker Campaign Achieves Federal Matching Funds". Howie Hawkins 2020. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  55. "Sorry Democrats, the Green Party Came Up With the Green New Deal!". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16.
  56. "The Democrats Stole the Green Party's Best Idea". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16.
  57. "The 'Green New Deal' isn't really that new". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16.
  58. "The 'Green New Deal' isn't really that new". Archived from the original on 2019-05-29.
  59. Hawkins, Howie. "The case for an independent Left party". International Socialist Review. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  60. "Perspectives and Policies". Howie Hawkins for President. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  61. "Medicare for All". Howie Hawkins for President. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  62. "Howie Hawkins: You didn't join the Peace and Freedom Party to support Democrats". PSL. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  63. "Gloria La Riva: Howie Hawkins's critique of PSL's critical support for Sanders campaign "not honest"". PSL. Retrieved Mar 17, 2020.
  64. "Is the Green Party rigging its presidential primary?". The Spectator. November 8, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  65. "Special announcement from the Hunter/Elias 2020 campaign". Twitter. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  66. "Controlling board to vote on CARES money for Ohio schools: Capitol Letter". Cleveland.com. July 13, 2020. Retrieved Aug 26, 2020.
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