FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Howie Hawkins, howie@howiehawkins.us
Angela Walker, angela@howiehawkins.us
Kevin Zeese, Press Secretary, 301-996-6582, kevin@howiehawkins.us
Robert Smith, Media Coordinator, 304-707-2824, robert@howiehawkins.us
(Syracuse, NY – July 9, 2020) Today the Green Party’s Hawkins/Walker campaign achieved federal primary matching funds, which means that all donations to the campaign will be matched by the federal government.
Federal law requires that campaigns raised $5,000 in 20 states in increments of up to $250 per individual. Today, Virginia became the 20th state and put the campaign over the top. Donations will qualify for matching funds up to the last day of the Republican Convention, August 27.
Matching funds must be spent for primary activities, including ballot access petitioning. For the general election, there are public campaign grants for parties that received over 5% of the popular vote in the previous election, which the Green Party did not do in 2016. The campaign will have to raise funds separately for the fall general election. No other campaign in 2020 has qualified for matching funds. The Democrats and Republicans reject matching funds because they can raise more money from the millionaires and billionaires who they represent, and no other third-party has achieved matching funds.
The campaign has raised nearly $220,000, from more than 4,000 people in more than 7,000 donations.
Hawkins/Walker plans to use the matching funds to get on the ballot in 50 states and Washington, DC by hiring ballot access petitioners. This is especially difficult during the COVID crisis. Attached are pictures of Hawkins/Walker petitioners gathering signatures. Hawkins/Walker will use much of the matching funds to hire petitioners.
Greens petition in New Jersey.
Petitioner in Arkansas.
Howie Hawkins said, “One of our goals is to build the Green Party into a party that wins thousands of state and local elections in every election cycle. The Hawkins/Walker campaign is focused on not only putting forward a positive agenda that confronts the multiple crises that the two governing parties have failed to solve, but on building the political power to put those policies in place.”
The Green Party of the United States holds its nominating convention this weekend. Hawkins has won 58 percent of the delegates in the Green primaries and is the presumptive nominee. Hawkins/Walker will hold a press conference on Sunday at 11 am, the day after the nomination to discuss the plans for the General Election, the policies they advocate, and the goals of the campaign.
Contact us if you have more questions about attending the press conference which will be held on Zoom.
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