Green Party of California
   

Green Party candidate's bid for congressional seat falls short, but he says the war, health care and education are still in play

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (April 9, 2008) - Green Party candidate Barry Hermanson's bid to replace the late Rep. Tom Lantos in Congress (CD 12, San Francisco/San Mateo) fell short Tuesday, but Hermanson came within a few hundred votes of beating a Republican, and said the issues he ran on - the war, health care and education - are still in play.

Speier, a career Democratic Party politician, won the Special Election with 77.93 percent, followed by fellow Democrat Michelle T. McMurry. Republicans Greg Conlon and Mike Moloney were next, just ahead of Hermanson.

But in San Francisco County, Hermanson garnered nearly 800 votes, or about 5 percent. Moloney had slightly over 6 percent and Conlon 7.2 percent.

"This is another election where our candidate held his own, despite overwhelming odds and big corporate money that allowed Ms. Speier to win this election. Mr. Hermanson's agenda, including ending the war now and providing health care for all, is still more progressive than Ms. Speier," said Dr. Robert Vizzard, an emergency room physician and Green Party of California spokesperson.

"We can only hope that, as the U.S. remains mired in Iraq and people continue to suffer from our poor health care system, voters will come to understand that the Green Party, and candidates like Mr. Hermanson, are the real choice for peace and prosperity," said Vizzard.

For more information: www.barryhermanson.org or www.cagreens.org.

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Contacts:
Dr. Bob Vizzard (Sacramento), 916.206.8953,
Susan King (San Francisco), 415.823.5524,
Cres Vellucci, Press Secretary, 916.996.1970,

The Green Party of California
PO Box 2828
Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
Web: http://www.cagreens.org
EMail: