Patricia Helen LaMarche (born November 26, 1960) is an American political figure and activist with the
Green Party of the United States
The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is a federation of Green party, Green state political parties in the United States. The party promotes green politics, specifically environmentalism; nonviolence; social justice; participatory democra ...
; she was the party's
vice-presidential candidate in the
2004 United States presidential election
The 2004 United States presidential election was the 55th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. The Republican ticket of incumbent President George W. Bush and his running mate incumbent Vice President Dick Chene ...
, with
David Cobb as its presidential candidate, and was one of seven co-chairs of the
party’s national committee, and was elected to that position on July 24, 2005.
LaMarche is also a two-time former candidate for
Governor of Maine
The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive.
The current governor of Maine is Ja ...
(1998 and 2006).
Early life
LaMarche was born in
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, the fourth of five children. She grew up in a public housing project in that city. Her maternal grandparents were immigrants from southern Ireland. Her father, Paul Henri LaMarche, is a doctor, and her mother, Genevieve (née Judge), was at that time a housewife but later became an auditor employed by the state of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
. When the family moved to
Bangor, Maine, in the 1970s, LaMarche enrolled at
John Bapst Memorial High School
John Bapst Memorial High School is a private, independent, college preparatory high school in Bangor, Maine, United States. It serves approximately 500 ninth through twelfth grade students from 50 different communities in the region. Th ...
where she graduated near the top of her class. She pursued her education with four years at
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
.
LaMarche returned to Maine in 1982, and the following year, she married Michael Russell. She had two children: Rebecca in 1985 and John in 1987. Patricia and Michael divorced in 1990. In the late 1980s, she moved into the broadcasting field and was employed at various television and radio stations in the Bangor area. LaMarche has taught Public Relations at
Husson College
Husson University is a private university in Bangor, Maine. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and as of Fall 2020 had a total enrollment of 3,476 students, including 799 graduate students in master's and doctoral programs.
Husson Un ...
's school of Communications and headed the Bangor chapter of the
Children's Miracle Network
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) (French: Réseau Enfants-Santé (RES)) is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations support the health of 10 million children each ...
.
In 1996 LaMarche moved south to
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, to take a job at talk radio station
WGAN
WGAN (560 AM broadcasting, AM) is an commercial radio, commercial radio station City of license, licensed to Portland, Maine. The station is owned by Saga Communications and it airs a talk radio, news/talk radio format. The station calls itself ...
.
Public life
Until the beginning of her vice-presidential campaign, LaMarche was employed by a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
in Maine under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
of Genny Judge; however, this ended with her candidacy.
On September 5, 2004, LaMarche announced that she would be visiting and staying overnight in
homeless
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
and
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
shelters throughout the United States "to draw attention to those living on the edge of society." The campaign dubbed this LaMarche's "Left-Out Tour." ''Left Out in America'', LaMarche's book which chronicles her tour through American homeless shelters, was released on October 5, 2006, by Upsala Press.
1998 gubernatorial election
In
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
, LaMarche was approached to run for governor by Green Party activists on the
Maine Green Independent Party
The Maine Green Independent Party is a state-level political party affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. It is the oldest state green party in the United States. It was founded following an informal meeting of 17 environmental ...
nominee. Despite only raising $20,000, LaMarche's campaign won 7% of the vote. Because her campaign received more than 5% of the total vote, she became the first woman in the history of the state of Maine to gain ballot access for a political party.
2006 gubernatorial election
On December 8, 2005, LaMarche announced her candidacy on the
Maine Green Independent Party
The Maine Green Independent Party is a state-level political party affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. It is the oldest state green party in the United States. It was founded following an informal meeting of 17 environmental ...
ticket for the
2006 Maine gubernatorial election
The 2006 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat John Baldacci was re-elected to his second term. This was the last time a Democrat won statewide office in Maine until 2018, when Janet Mills won the gubern ...
against incumbent
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
John Baldacci
John Elias Baldacci (born January 30, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.
During hi ...
.
Her positions garnered the endorsement, among others, of Chris Miller, progressive former Democratic candidate for governor who lost in the primaries. LaMarche was one of three Maine Candidates who took advantage of Maine's
Clean Election Act, a taxpayer-funded campaign system which rewards candidates with public funds if they meet the required 2,500 $5 contributions In November 2006, LaMarche received 51,992 votes (9.56%) in the Maine race for governor.
The LaMarche for Governor website was being permanently archived by the Library of Congress official 2006 Election archive. The site also won a number of awards, including The Golden Dot Award as Best Local Campaign Website of the 2006 campaign at the annual Politics Online conference held in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 2007, A Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) in the gubernatorial websites category, and An Honorable Mention from AAPC for mobile technology used in the LaMarche campaign.
Homeless Advocacy and Activism
#MemorialBlanket
In 2021, LaMarche spoke at the graduation ceremony for economically disadvantaged individuals who had to take a money management class to improve their housing and living assistance. After reminding the organizers that no one can stretch a penny far enough to compensate for having too few pennies to begin with - LaMarche congratulated the graduates and spent time getting to know them better. One woman on permanent disability explained that her dream existence would include crocheting every day. Walking home that night, LaMarche realized that she could create an art installation that would allow her to do just that... AND remind her community that homelessness kills. Indeed - every year, on homeless memorial night, advocates across the country commemorate those who are lost on the street. December 21st - the longest day of the year - is that day. LaMarche's efforts were supported by Matthew Best, Max Donnelly and Marsha Roscoe. With the help of hundreds of artisans and volunteers
together they put 219 handmadeblankets out, overnight, to mark the solemn event.
In 2022
the blanket project returned.This time LaMarche arranged th
event to grace the West Lawnof the US Capitol. With
generous grantfrom the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and in cooperation with thousands of volunteers, th
#memorialblanketart installation took place in front of the mos
powerful buildingon the planet.
Other occupations
From 2007 until 2011, LaMarche authored a weekly
syndicated column which can be read on line in the ''
Bangor Daily News
The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine.
The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig and ...
''. LaMarche was also a Contributing Author for the online news and commentary sit
New Clear Visionas well as a contributor to the ''
Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''.
Along with her journalism, LaMarche was Vice President of Safe Harbour, a homeless shelter based in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...
for several years. She returned to Maine in June 2011, having been offered the opportunity by
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
to institute "a
left-leaning
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
" talk show. With her co-presenter, Don Cookson, LaMarche appeared on the
WZON
WZON (620 Hertz, kHz) is an AM broadcasting, AM radio station broadcasting an oldies format, with one afternoon talk show. The station is licensed to Bangor, Maine, Bangor and serves Central Maine.
Along with sister stations 100.3 WKIT and 103 ...
show ''The Pulse'' five mornings each week. In November 2011, in order to raise matched funding on offer from Stephen King to provide winter heat for Mainers without, LaMarche announced her intention to spend a week living in a "Hobbit Hole" outdoors, notwithstanding the bracing Maine fall conditions. She repeated the feat in 2012, garnering thousands of dollars in contributions. Her last broadcast on the morning show was November 16, 2012.
Upon returning to Pennsylvania she worked with Rick Smith on th
Rick Smith Showfrom Harrisburg. LaMarche and Smith traveled 9800 miles of the U.S., broadcasting nightly and she came away with her second book
She is working to help end poverty in
Appalachia
Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...
.
LaMarche and fellow homeless advocate,
ttps://www.hearus.us Diane Nilan traveled regularly speaking for agencies and universities about ever-growing despair among America's poorest residents. They refer to themselves as the
ttps://www.facebook.com/BabesofWrath Babes of Wrathas a tribute to the important lessons delivered by
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...
in his epic novel,
The Grapes of Wrath
''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award
and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...
.
In June 2019, LaMarche published a novel, Magic Diary through
Sunbury Press.
Pat's newest novel
Priscilla the Princess of the Park is part one of a four-part series dealing with homelessness through the eyes of an elderly woman and the young people she befriends in the park. It is published by the non-profit
Charles Bruce Foundation with all proceeds helping others.
January 2023 - Stringer for the Bucks County Beacon
LaMarche begins covering the Harrisburg beat for Philadelphia area local paper
Her first articleruns January 25.
Footnotes
External links
Official Pat LaMarche for Governor WebsiteLaMarche's column for Bangor Daily NewsLaMarche as contributor to the Huffington PostProfile page The Authors Guild*
* (alt)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamarche, Pat
1960 births
21st-century American politicians
American anti–nuclear power activists
American democracy activists
American environmentalists
American women environmentalists
American people of Irish descent
Consumer rights activists
Female candidates for Vice President of the United States
Green Party of the United States chairs
Green Party of the United States vice presidential nominees
Husson University faculty
Living people
Maine Greens
Politicians from Bangor, Maine
Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island
2004 United States vice-presidential candidates
Women in Maine politics
21st-century American women politicians
Radio personalities from Maine
Activists from Maine
American women academics