The Statehood Green Party, known as DC Statehood Party prior to 1999, is the progressive political party in the District of Columbia. The party is the D.C. affiliate of the national Green Party but has traditionally elevated issues of

District of Columbia statehood movement The District of Columbia statehood movement is a political movement that advocates making the District of Columbia a U.S. state, to provide the residents of the District of Columbia with voting representation in the Congress and complete ...

as its primary focus. Party members refer to the Statehood Green Party as the second most popular party in the District because, historically, STG (on the D.C. electoral ballot) candidates win the second highest vote totals in the city, ahead of the Republican Party but behind the Democratic Party. As of February, 2023, there are approximately 4,140 voters registered in the Statehood Green Party.Monthly Report of Voter Registration Statistics as of February, 2023
" ''District of Columbia Board of Elections''. February 2023. That is 0.79% of registered voters in the city.

History

The party was founded to convince

Julius Hobson Julius Wilson Hobson (May 29, 1922March 23, 1977) was an activist and politician who served on the Council of the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Board of Education. Early life Hobson was a native of Birmingham, Alabama, He wa ...

to run for the District's non-voting Congressional Delegate position as a member of the D.C. Statehood Party. Although Hobson lost that race to

Walter E. Fauntroy Walter Edward Fauntroy (born February 6, 1933) is an American pastor, civil rights activist, and politician who was a delegate to the United States House of Representatives and a candidate for the 1972 and 1976 Democratic presidential nominations ...

, Hobson received enough votes to make the party an official major party in the District. Following the election, Hobson helped set up the party in the District. Other notable founders include Josephine Butler and Calvert I. Cassell. The party was organized on the ward level, and ward chairs could decide how to organize their activities in their wards. Hobson later served on the

D.C. Council The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...

. In 1973, the party was a strong proponent of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which gave limited self-government to the District. From the creation of the District Council in 1975 until 1999, the party always had one of the at-large seats, first occupied by Hobson and then by Hilda Mason. In 1998, a Green Party was founded in D.C. Their candidate for

Shadow Representative The posts of shadow United States senator and shadow United States representative are held by elected or appointed government officials from subnational polities of the United States that lack congressional vote. While these officials are not ...

, Mike Livingston, ran that year. He received 2,000 more votes than necessary for the party to qualify for continued ballot access. In October 1999, the new Green Party merged with the longstanding and larger Statehood Party to form the Statehood Green Party. In a 2016 district-wide plebiscite, D.C. residents voted in favor of statehood. The party criticized the lack of involvement of regular citizens in the process.

References

External links

* {{Green parties in the United States Green Party of the United States Political parties established in 1971 D.C. Statehood Green Party Political parties in the District of Columbia 1971 establishments in Washington, D.C.

History

See also

References

External links