Press Release: ILLINOIS GREEN PARTY BALLOT DRIVE SURPASSES 25,000 SIGNATURES

Illinois Green Party http://www.ilgp.org/ Contact: Phil Huckelberry, Co-Chair, Illinois Green Party, 309-268-9974, phil@mcgreens.org Jennifer Rose, Whitney for Governor, campaignmanager@whitneyforgov.org, 618-528-8683

June 19, 2006
Released June 15, 2006

"Illinois politics-as-usual is about to change," said Jennifer Rose,  campaign manager for Green gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney, as the  Illinois Green Party recently collected its 25,000th signature on the way to getting its slate of candidates to appear on the statewide ballot this fall.

"New" parties are forced by state law to collect 25,000 signatures between  March 28 and June 26 to qualify for the fall ballot. The Green Party has now surpassed that number, and Greens are continuing to collect signatures through June 26 to buttress against a possible challenge.

The six-person statewide slate includes: Rich Whitney (Carbondale) for Governor; Julie Samuels (Oak Park) for Lieutenant Governor; David Black (Belvidere) for Attorney General; Karen Young (Chicago) for Secretary of State; Rev. Dan Rodriguez-Schlorff (Chicago) for Treasurer; and Alicia Snyder (Centralia) for Comptroller.

The Green Party will also field more legislative candidates in Illinois than ever before. Already ballot qualified are Nathan Helsabeck for 8th State Rep (Oak Park, western Chicago); Phil Huckelberry for 88th State Rep (Bloomington-Normal); and Charlie Howe for 115th State Rep (Carbondale area). Other legislative candidates currently petitioning include Dorian Breuer for 1st State Senate (Chicago); Robert Cepeda for 2nd State Rep (Chicago); Kathy Cummings for 4th State Rep (Chicago); Tim Curtin for 78th State Rep (Oak Park); and Tom Abram for 103rd State Rep (Champaign-Urbana).

The success of the petition drive in spite of harsh ballot access laws could indicate that the Green message resonates well with voters this election cycle, some in the party say. "We have done very well this year because the general public is mad at both the Democrats and the Republicans," said Huckelberry. "We talk about real issues like alternative energy, and have real solutions to problems like education funding. This makes us more credible than the entrenched parties in the eyes of many voters."

For more information on Green campaigns in Illinois, see also: