Political expert available to discuss Green Party convention

EXPERT ALERT

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Political expert available to discuss Green Party convention

HOUSTON – (Aug. 4) – Rice University political scientist Mark Jones is available to comment on the Green Party’s national convention, which opens today in Houston.

Graphic courtesy Green Party

Jones, who is the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor of political science, fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, recently wrote a convention preview piece for the Baker Institute’s Baker Blog titled “The Greens are coming! The Greens are coming! (to Houston).” In it he states:

“The main order of business at the Green Party National Convention will be to nominate the party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein. In doing so, the party will symbolically launch its national campaign, which includes not only Stein’s presidential bid but hundreds of other campaigns throughout the country for offices ranging from U.S. senator to state representative to county commissioner.

“Stein’s (presidential) prospects for victory are nonexistent. However, an improved performance by Stein would be positive for the Green Party in two principal ways. First, it would demonstrate the existence of popular support for the Green Party and its type of progressive agenda while simultaneously improving the party’s name recognition and brand among the general public. Second, in a host of states, a good showing by Stein could represent the difference between guaranteed access to the ballot in 2018 and (in some cases) 2020 and either spending scarce resources on costly signature-gathering campaigns to obtain ballot access or not being able to run candidates for public office.”

To read the full commentary, go here.

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