The day after election day 2022, I shared that I was exploring a campaign to seek the Green Party nomination for Governor of Maryland in 2026. I am going to use this newsletter article to list a few questions that frame what “exploring” or “thinking about it” means to me.
Before we get to the list, here is some context for me. A statewide race is a big deal, and the governor’s race is the most important and high visibility of those races. No previous Maryland Green Party gubernatorial campaign has even achieved 1% of the vote, much less been a significant factor in the election. 1% in the gubernatorial race has been the holy grail for smaller parties, because of the statutory requirement for a party to have 1% in the top of the ticket race in order to keep ballot access for the next election cycle.
Over the next 18-24 months myself and a team of advisors will be building the campaign with the goal of running for governor in 2026, but there are some important questions I will be asking myself, those around me, and potential supporters before we make the final decision, sometime in late 2024 or early 2025.
- Can I do it right now? Today I am gainfully employed and healthy. On any given day I could lose my job or take on new significant responsibilities. I could become sick or injured, or someone in my family could. Life can change a lot in 4 years.
- Is this campaign good, not just better than other green campaigns? I have not been impressed by the Maryland Green Party Gubernatorial campaigns in the past, and the 2022 Wallace/Elder campaign was no exception. That campaign finished with 0.73% and 14,580 votes. These are the second best totals in each of these categories among gubernatorial races run by Greens in Maryland, and the best results in 16 years.
While this campaign had comparative success I believe there is potential for a well-organized and well-planned campaign to do better – a lot better. I am not eager to continue debating the significance of fluctuations between 0.5 and 0.9% of the vote. I am convinced we can do better, and routinely get past 1%.
I don’t want to settle for better than other Greens, and for 1%, I want the campaign to be good. Campaigns and electoral politics are not by themselves the pathway to a more democratic, just and equitable world; at best they occur in the meantime between now and then, but that does not mean they can not help us build the institutions which we will need to build the better world. Does the work of the campaign help us build toward the future we want? If it does or could, then it's worth doing; if it doesn’t feel like that can happen, then we should not do it. - Is it good for the party AND the people? I do not want to run a race that is only good for the Green Party, but offers no value to the people of Maryland. At the same time, I don’t want to run a race that is good for the people of Maryland and offers no value to the Green Party. I want to run a campaign that is both good for the Green Party and good for the people.
I think there is a mentality which is prevalent among a lot of Greens which says that simply having a Green on the ballot is enough. I don’t agree. Running a race and appearing on the ballot is necessary to connect our electoral activity to our values, but it is not sufficient.To do that, we need to do more than simply show up – we must bring our whole selves and whole party to the ballot when we run a top-of-ticket race. Doing that is essential to the party being a relevant force for change in Maryland. We must run like we understand the urgency of the problems we face in Baltimore, Maryland and beyond. We must run like we believe in the necessity of our solutions to address those problems. If by 2025 we don’t think we can do that, then I won’t run in 2026. - Am I the right person? Is this the right race? I think I am qualified to run for this office and can win the nomination in the Green Primary in 2026, and then run a great race. It's very early though, and I don't think I am the only person who can run this race or the only person who can run it well. If there is another candidate seeking the office who I think would be a better candidate and have a better campaign, then I likely would not run.
Similarly, right now I believe this is the best race to run to achieve the political goals I think are important. If the political reality changes and suggests a different race, then I might do that.
I am in the race early, because I think we need to build good campaigns over a long time, but there is a lot of change that can occur over the next two years and I am excited to see what else happens.
I understand many politicians use the language of “exploration” when they fully intend to run – this is not that. I believe these high visibility statewide races are more important than the party’s long term leaders have led us to believe. I intend to explore this run with that seriousness in mind.I encourage every Green who is considering or even imagining a run for this position to join me in the contest, build a campaign, and let Green voters decide who their candidate will be.
For me, the questions outlined in this article will be a part of a framework I use to explore whetherI declare in 2025. That doesn’t mean we won’t also be doing more typical things that will happen during an exploratory phase. That will include trying to build an email list, identifying people willing to donate now and in the future, and organizing a network of supporters.
It is my firm belief that there is immense power in the ballot line we fight so hard for, but I do not think we are using it as well as we can. I think serious campaigns for big offices are important. I am committed to doing the work that enables me to confidently say yes to each of these questions in two years, and I look forward to discussing this with each of you over that time.
About this newsletter and Sign-up for the email
This newsletter is the best place to follow longer form thoughts and ideas about the campaign, like this. But I also encourage you to follow the campaign email. I want email for campaigns to be an effective tool for communication and organizing, not a strip mining operation trying to extract data and donations from as many people as possible. To that end our email volume will be low, opt-ins and opt-outs will be honored, and we won’t share your email with anyone. Sign up for the email here.
Please reach out at andy@gogreen2026com so we can talk more!
It is my firm belief that there is immense power in the ballot line we fight so hard for, but I do not think we are using it as well as we can. I think serious campaigns for big offices are important. I am committed to doing the work that enables me to confidently say yes to each of these questions in two years, and I look forward to discussing this with each of you over that time.
About this newsletter and Sign-up for the email
This newsletter is the best place to follow longer form thoughts and ideas about the campaign, like this. But I also encourage you to follow the campaign email. I want email for campaigns to be an effective tool for communication and organizing, not a strip mining operation trying to extract data and donations from as many people as possible. To that end our email volume will be low, opt-ins and opt-outs will be honored, and we won’t share your email with anyone. Sign up for the email here.
Please reach out at andy@gogreen2026com so we can talk more!