California Green Party Decisions Leave
Door Open for Nader Endorsement at National
Convention; Green Candidate Also Possible

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: June 8, 2004

Contacts:
Beth Moore Haines, GPCA Spokesperson, 530-277-0610,
Sara Amir, GPCA Spokesperson, 310-270-7106,

SACRAMENTO – The Green Party of California – meeting this past weekend here at its state conference – may have made it even more likely for the Green Party to endorse the independent run of Ralph Nader, although it is still possible a homegrown Green will get the party's Presidential nomination.

The state Greens decided to allow their delegates at the national nominating convention in Milwaukee June 23-28 to "vote their conscience" after the first ballot.

The GPCA will also refuse to require state delegates to sign a national "loyalty oath" that would bar them from supporting any candidate other than the one chosen by the full national convention.

Those decisions will help open up the convention, where Greens could either field a Green candidate, or endorse a non-Green candidate, like Nader.

Because California holds 132 of the 836 national delegates, its delegation may well hold the key to what the party will decide, and that could influence who wins the Presidency because a Green endorsement of Nader could put him on 23 state ballots.

In another development in Sacramento, Peter Camejo, the dynamic gubernatorial candidate in the recall election who holds the lion's share of delegates from California, confirmed at the convention he would use his delegates to support a Nader endorsement.

Camejo has collected 83 California Green Party delegates, followed by David Cobb (13), Lorna Salzman (12), Kent Mesplay (2) and none-of-the-above (22). Cobb lead 164 national delegates – Camejo has 108 – but is far short of a first ballot win with 419 needed for the nomination.

Compared to the GOP and Democratic conventions, where there is no mystery as to who will win the nomination, the Green convention is expected to be an "open democracy" affair similar to past larger-than-life presidential nominating conventions.

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The Green Party of California
http://www.cagreens.org
P.O. Box 2828, Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
gpca@greens.org