The Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign (H20) is the first Green Party campaign to submit its financial report with the FEC for the 2020 presidential cycle. The report and their federal matching funds drive show H’20 is on track to accomplish Federal matching funds earlier than any other previous Green Party campaign.

Howie Hawkins is working to meet the matching funds during 2019 before the 2020 election year. Stein-Baraka achieved matching funds for the 2016 campaign in March 2016. Matching funds requires candidates to raise $5,000 in 20 states in donations of up to $250. 

Hawkins announced his campaign for the nomination on May 28. He has raised more than $30,000 toward the $100,000 needed for matching funds. H’20 has raised more than 10 percent of the funds needed in 16 states including Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Washington, DC; five states are over 20%, including Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Maryland, and North Carolina; and one state, Hawkins home state of New York, has already surpassed the matching funds threshold. Nine other states are between 5% and 10% of the total needed. These include Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. 

“Achieving matching funds before the 2020 election year is a priority for a grassroots campaign that refuses to take any funding from any big business interests,” said Hawkins. “We understand the importance of raising funds in order to get out the H’20 message, but we will not sell out to business interests as much of our agenda challenges corporate power.”

The platform of the Hawkins campaign is built on the Ecosocialist Green New Deal that includes an Economic Bill of Rights, a Green Economy Reconstruction Program and a 75% cut to the bloated and wasteful military budget. H’20 puts forward a series of issues to achieve economic, racial and environmental justice as well as peace.

“Achieving a transition to clean, sustainable energy by 2030 is essential to prevent climate chaos. And doing so while creating economic security and rebuilding the economy for the 21st Century is a positive program to address the climate emergency that will improve the lives of working people in the US and across the globe while protecting the planet,” said Hawkins.

In addition, to achieving matching funds earlier than any other presidential campaign, H’20 seeks to be the first Green campaign to achieve ballot access in all 50 states, Washington, DC and US territories. It is working with Green State Parties and the GPUS Ballot Access Committee to achieve this goal. 

“In addition, to putting forward issues that need to be on the national political agenda, our campaign seeks to build the Green Party into a viable national party that elects thousands of people to electoral office,” said Hawkins.

Hawkins was one of the founders of the Green Party and the first candidate in the United States to run on the Green New Deal when he ran for governor of New York in 2010.