Mark Gerald Elworth Jr. (born August 6, 1976) is an American freelance musician, businessman,

cannabis rights Cannabis rights or marijuana rights (sometimes more specifically cannabis consumer rights or stoner rights) are individual Civil rights, civil and human rights that vary by jurisdiction. The rights of people who consume Cannabis (drug), cannabis ...

activist,

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

for

public office Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...

, and

rockhound Amateur geology or rock collecting (also referred to as rockhounding in the United States and Canada) is the non-professional study and hobby of collecting rocks and minerals or fossil specimens from the natural environment.Sinkankas, John. Minera ...

. Elworth was the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties * Outline of libertarianism ...

candidate for

Governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...

in 2014 and was the

Legal Marijuana Now The Legal Marijuana Now Party is a political Third party (United States), third party in the United States. The party’s platform includes abolishing the Drug Enforcement Administration and legalizing hemp and cannabis (drug), marijuana. As of ...

candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2016. Elworth, who

petitioned A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offic ...

in the past for

ballot access Elections in the United States refers to the rules and procedures regulating the conditions under which a candidate, political party, or ballot measure is entitled to appear on voters' ballots. As the nation's election process is decentralized b ...

for the Nebraska Green Party, led a successful statewide petition drive to acquire ballot access for a

Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW is a political third party in the U.S. state of Nebraska established in 2016 as the state affiliate of the Legal Marijuana Now Party. In 2022, Legal Marijuana NOW Party ran more candidates for Nebraska statewide offi ...

. Elworth, who resides in

Brush, Colorado Brush is a Statutory City located in Morgan County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 5,339 at the 2020 United States Census. Brush is a part of the Fort Morgan, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Brush, Colorado was na ...

, is state party chairperson of Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW.

Personal life

When Mark Elworth was young, he was arrested several times for

cannabis possession The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...

. He told a reporter for ''

The Daily Nebraskan ''The Daily Nebraskan'', established in 1871 as the ''Monthly Hesperian Student'', is the student newspaper of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Although many journalism students are on staff, the ''Daily Nebraskan'' is independent of the uni ...

'' that even though the charges were

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

s, the record of infractions has haunted him as an adult. Elworth, who graduated from the

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

, operated a free

community garden A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively. Normally in community gardens, the land is divided into individual plots. Each individual gardener is responsible for their own plo ...

South Omaha South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth, due to the rapid development of the Union S ...

, and has been a volunteer coordinator during petition drives for several state political parties. A single father of one child, Elworth is state party chairperson of Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, where he often points to as his permanent address, Elworth is known for leading a

nomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

lifestyle, and he has taken up temporary residency at various locations, mostly in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and Western United States, including:

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

; Brush, Colorado;

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

; and

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Political career

Green Party

Elworth got involved in politics in the 1990s, volunteering for the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

during

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

's 2000 presidential campaign. In 2016, Elworth was a Green Party candidate for

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the small ...

Libertarian Party

Elworth met the Libertarian Party during the

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

branch's 2010 ballot access petition drive. Elworth was the Libertarian Party candidate for

in 2014. He campaigned on a platform of marijuana legalization, and cutting

corporate welfare Corporate welfare is a phrase used to describe a government's bestowal of money grants, tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment for corporations. The definition of corporate welfare is sometimes restricted to direct government subsidie ...

. Elworth spent $500.00, saying that he was running a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

campaign and did not accept any large contributions. In 2018, Elworth ran for US Senate as a Libertarian candidate but left the race before the primary.

Legal Marijuana Now Party

In 2015–2016, Elworth petitioned for a

Marijuana Party Cannabis political parties are generally Single-issue politics, single-issue parties that exist to oppose the laws against cannabis (drug), cannabis. Australia In the 1970s, J.J. McRoach ran for parliament as candidate for the Australian Marij ...

of Nebraska to be officially recognized by the state. To make the ballot, he needed 5,397 signatures statewide. In July 2016, the party turned in 9,000 signatures to the

Nebraska Secretary of State The secretary of state of Nebraska is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Nebraska. In Nebraska, the secretary of state is elected for a four-year term. Vacancies are filled by appointment by the governor of Nebraska. The c ...

. However, the Secretary of State said that half of the signatures were invalid, falling short of the 5,397 needed. In 2016, Elworth changed the name of the Nebraska party to

Legal Marijuana NOW The Legal Marijuana Now Party is a political Third party (United States), third party in the United States. The party’s platform includes abolishing the Drug Enforcement Administration and legalizing hemp and cannabis (drug), marijuana. As of ...

. Elworth was the Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

in 2016. His name appeared on ballots in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. After an unsuccessful attempt to make it onto

ballots in 2016, Elworth began circulating petitions for 2020 ballot access for a Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party in September 2016. Elworth said the group planned to collect double the number of signatures they submitted in 2016, to ensure their success. In September 2017, Elworth told a television reporter that Legal Marijuana NOW Party had gathered signatures of 10,000 registered Nebraska voters.

Independent candidate

Elworth, of Council Bluffs, was nominated by petition to run independently for U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa’s 3rd congressional district, in 2018, as an

independent candidate An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

under the banner of “Legal Medical Now.”

2020s activism

Democratic Party

In 2020, Elworth ran for Congress in Nebraska’s Third District as a Democrat. Elworth was the only person to file in the district for the Democratic Party primary, and was declared the winner. Elworth had a falling-out with the Chair of the

Nebraska Democratic Party The Nebraska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Nebraska. Over 700 Democrats are elected across the state of Nebraska. Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and also serves as the Midwest C ...

Jane Kleeb Jane Fleming Kleeb ( ) is an American political executive and activist. She is the founder and president of Bold Alliance, Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party The Nebraska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the st ...

. Elworth claimed Kleeb and the Democratic Party refused to support his candidacy, while Kleeb said Elworth failed to complete party paperwork. Elworth stated that he intended to switch parties and run as the candidate of Legal Marijuana Now Party in the district. Elworth told a reporter, “I consider myself pretty moderate on a lot of issues. I’m a little conservative on money issues. I’m more liberal on social issues. I’m a constitutionalist.” Elworth said, “I believe in people’s rights and equal rights for everybody. I’m not a true Democrat, but I’m not a Republican either.” Elworth received 18% in a three-way race, in the November 2020 General Election.

MAGA Patriots Party

Early in the month of February 2021, Elworth filed paperwork to establish a MAGA Patriots Party, headquartered in

North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. T ...

. Elworth said the state Elections Division denied his filing arbitrarily, but Secretary of State

Bob Evnen Robert Barnett Evnen (born 1952) is an American attorney and Republican politician in the state of Nebraska. He is the 27th Secretary of State of Nebraska, serving since 2019. Legal career Evnen graduated from Michigan State University with a ba ...

said Elworth’s filing was deficient. Elworth told a reporter that he was still working on getting his own Legal Marijuana NOW Party recognized by the state of Nebraska.

Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party

On April 21, 2021, Legal Marijuana NOW gained official recognition as a state political party in Nebraska, earning the party ballot access for their candidates, and allowing Legal Marijuana NOW Party to register voters. And Elworth became chairperson of Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW. Elworth was a Legal Marijuana NOW candidate for United States Representative from Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022.

Colorado Libertarian Party

Elworth moved to Colorado, in 2023, to run as a

2024 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's fi ...

Libertarian candidate for U.S. Representative from

Colorado's 3rd congressional district Colorado's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. It takes in most of the rural Western Slope in the state's western third portion, with a tendril in the south taking in some of the southern porti ...

Political candidacy

Elworth has run numerous times for various offices, including: * Governor of Nebraska in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Vice-president of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice pr ...

, and State Representative from Nebraska’s 13th legislative district, in 2016 * Omaha Third District city council member in 2017 * United States Representative from Iowa’s 3rd congressional district in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

* United States Representative from Nebraska’s 3rd congressional district in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

* United States Representative from Colorado’s 3rd congressional district in

References

External links

Ballotpedia: Mark Elworth Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elworth, Mark 1976 births Living people American cannabis activists Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Cannabis political party politicians People convicted of cannabis offenses Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska University of Nebraska Omaha alumni Nebraska Democrats Iowa Independents Nebraska Libertarians Colorado Libertarians

Personal life

Political career

Green Party

Libertarian Party

Legal Marijuana Now Party

Independent candidate

2020s activism

Democratic Party

MAGA Patriots Party

Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party

Colorado Libertarian Party

Political candidacy

Further reading

References

External links