San Francisco Green Party endorses Cindy Sheehan run against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; Greens will be strong ally in longshot bid
GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO (June 24, 2008) - The San Francisco Green Party - a powerful force in progressive San Francisco politics - has endorsed the independent run by peace activist Cindy Sheehan against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) in November.
The SFGP decision means Sheehan - who lost her son Casey in the war in Iraq - will have a strong ally in her bid to upset Pelosi in the 8th Congressional District. Greens hold several key San Francisco elected positions, including SF Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, and Mark Sanchez, president of the SF Board of Education, who is running for a supervisor slot.
"We are glad she is taking on Speaker Pelosi, who has been a huge disappointment even to her Democratic Party base," said Erika McDonald, spokesperson for the SFGP.
"We admire Sheehan's bravery in standing up to the corrupt two-party system. She has suffered immeasurable loss because of the unwillingness of our government to stand up for justice," added McDonald.
The Greens, who are not putting up a candidate of their own in the race, hope to provide some needed muscle for Sheehan, who must collect about 10,000 signatures by Aug. 8 to have her name put on the ballot. As of this past week, she had about 3,500 signatures.
The goals of the Green Party and Sheehan are similar - protect U.S. troops in Iraq by ending the war now, a position rejected by Pelosi and other Democrats in Congress who say they are opposed to the war, but continue to fund billions for it.
Greens, like Sheehan, have endorsed the impeachment of Pres. George Bush, vice-president Dick Cheney and other Bush Administration officials. Sheehan also comes from working class roots, which compares favorably to the Green Party's strong social justice platform.
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Contacts:
Erika McDonald, Spokesperson, 415.337.1499,
Susan King, Spokesperson, 415.823.5524,
Cres Vellucci, Press Secretary, 916.996.9170,
The Green Party of California
PO Box 2828
Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
Web: http://www.cagreens.org
EMail: