Mountain Party
Mountain Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair | Denise Binion |
| Vice Chair | Dylan Parsons |
| Secretary | Matthew Kolb |
| Treasurer | Robert Smith |
| Founder | Denise Giardina |
| Founded | May 8, 2000[1] |
| Headquarters | P.O. Box 805 New Martinsville, WV 26155 |
| Membership (2023) |  2,363[2] |
| Ideology | Green politics Progressivism Eco-socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| National affiliation | Green Party of the United States |
| Colors | Green |
| West Virginia Senate | 0 / 34 |
| West Virginia House of Delegates | 0 / 100 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Mountain Party is a political party in West Virginia, affiliated with the Green Party of the United States.[3][4]
It is a progressive and environmentalist party whose party platform primarily focuses on "Grassroots Democracy", "Social Justice & Equal Opportunity", "Ecological Wisdom" and "Non-Violence".[5]
History
The Mountain Party was created largely in response to the conservative tilt of the West Virginia Democratic Party, and was thus born out of Denise Giardina's gubernatorial campaign in 2000.[6]
Today, the party is chaired by Denise Binion.[7]
Prominent campaigns
In 2016, the party ran former state senator Charlotte Pritt for Governor of West Virginia.[8] This led to growth for the party.[9] She received nearly 6% of the vote, the highest ever for a Mountain Party gubernatorial candidate.
In 2018, House of Delegates candidate Elliot Pritt was endorsed by the Charleston Gazette.[10]
In 2022, House of Delegates candidate Dylan Parsons was endorsed by two members of the Morgantown City Council, several former Democratic nominees, and the organization WV Can't Wait.[11]
Currently elected officials
The Mountain Party has consistently maintained a number of officeholders for non-partisan offices, despite not being nominated by the party membership. According to the Green Party of the United States elections database, there are two non-partisan officeholders registered with the Mountain Party serving as Conservation District Supervisors.[12]
Election results
State elections
Governor
| Year | Nominee | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Denise Giardina | 10,416 | 1.61% |
| 2004 | Jesse Johnson | 18,430 | 2.48% |
| 2008 | 31,486 | 4.46% | |
| 2011 | Bob Henry Baber | 6,083 | 2.02% |
| 2012 | Jesse Johnson | 16,787 | 2.53% |
| 2016 | Charlotte Pritt | 42,068 | 5.89% |
| 2020 | Daniel Lutz | 11,296 | 1.47% |
Legislature
| West Virginia Senate | West Virginia House of Delegates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total Votes | Total Percent | Year | Total Votes |
| 2002 | 1,173 | missing | 2002 | 3,165 |
| 2004 | 2,048 | missing | 2004 | no candidates |
| 2006 | no candidates | 2006 | 365 | |
| 2008 | 2,682 | 0.37% | 2008 | 5,606 |
| 2010 | 3,628 | 0.74%[a] | 2010 | 2,791 |
| 2012 | no candidates | 2012 | 5,994 | |
| 2014 | 1,221 | 0.28% | 2014 | 3,720 |
| 2016 | 1,404 | 0.20%[b] | 2016 | 3,031 |
| 2018 | no candidates | 2018 | 3,365 | |
| 2020 | 10,324 | 1.34% | 2020 | 3,228 |
| 2022 | no candidates | 2022 | 641 | |
Federal elections
President
| Year | Nominee | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Cynthia McKinney | 2,355 | 0.33% |
| 2012 | Jill Stein | 4,406 | 0.66% |
| 2016 | 8,075 | 1.13% | |
| 2020 | Howie Hawkins | 2,599 | 0.33% |
Congress
| US Senate | US House | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Votes | Percent | Total Votes | Total Percent |
| 2004 | no election | 3,218 | 0.45% | |
| 2006 | 8,565 | 1.9% | no candidates | |
| 2008 | no candidate | |||
| 2010 | 10,355 | 1.92% | ||
| 2012 | 19,517 | 2.96% | ||
| 2014 | 5,504 | 1.21% | ||
| 2016 | no election | |||
| 2018 | no candidate | 6,227 | 1.09% | |
| 2020 | no candidates | |||
| 2022 | ||||
References
- ^ Coleman, Randy (May 9, 2000). "Giardina turns in 18,000 signatures". The Register-Herald. pp. 1A.
- ^ Warner, Mac. "West Virginia Voter Registration Totals, March 2023" (PDF).
- ^ "Recognized Political Parties in WV". West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ Winger, Richard (July 10, 2007). "Mountain Party to Affiliate with Green Party". Ballot Access News. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "The MOUNTAIN PARTY PLATFORM - Mountain Party WV". Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Case, David (September 13, 2000). "West Virginia's Mountain (Party) Mama". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "State Executive Committee". Mountain Party. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ BOARD, GLYNIS (November 2, 2016). "Charlotte Pritt: The Mountain Party's Maverick". WV Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ Wiederspiel, Alex (July 17, 2016). "Following Charlotte Pritt nomination for Governor, Mountain Party leaders see huge growth potential". Metro News. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Gazette endorsement: For WV Legislature, these candidates offer promising future". Charleston Gazette-Mail.
- ^ "Endorsements". Parsons For WV. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ "Greens In Office". gpelections.org. Retrieved June 8, 2022.