Green Party Nominee for Craighead County Clerk, Arkansas, Ousts Incumbent Democrat

On November 6, Green Party nominee Kade Holliday, running for Craighead County Clerk (Arkansas) defeated his only opponent, the Democratic incumbent, Nancy Nelms. Nelms had been in office since 1999. See this story.

Holliday campaigned very hard, with radio ads, yard signs, and frequent appearances. The vote was: Holliday 18,471; Nelms 11,487.

The Green Party won three partisan elections in Arkansas this month. Besides the legislative race already mentioned, and the Craighead County Clerk, the party elected Alvin Clay Justice of the Peace, district 6, in Mississippi County. Both Holliday and Clay were nominated at the party’s convention on May 6, 2012. These victories may make it more likely that the Green Party can successfully persuade the state legislature to ease the vote test, so the party could remain ballot-qualified. If the law were changed to provide that a party is any group that polled at least 3% of the vote at either of the last two statewide elections, it would be on automatically for 2014. In 2010, the party polled 26.91% for Attorney General, 29.35% for Auditor, and 32.46% for Treasurer. In 2012, there were no statewide races on the ballot except for President.


Comments

Green Party Nominee for Craighead County Clerk, Arkansas, Ousts Incumbent Democrat — 4 Comments

  1. This exactly how third parties should aim to do build themselves, from the bottom up. By putting resources were they can actually win races at the local level, a party can create qualified candidates and a local grassroots base to make successful runs at higher offices in the future. With the exception of any gains in ballot access, the current trend of third parties focusing the majority of their limited resources on presidential races is a strategy doomed to fail.

  2. Great job by the Greens in AR! Who would have thought their best state would be in the Deep South? Good for them.

  3. @I think that the Green Party is starting to understand the system. I think they looked at the VT Progressive Party and are taking the same approach. I see that the Greens in Arkansas are taking the example from their counter-parts in Maine and are running local candidates and soon state candidates, with the exception of Fred Smith which was a lucky win.

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