Why I’m running for Lt. Governor of Maryland
October 29, 2022
By Pat Elder
Nancy Wallace and Pat Elder are hoping to attract 1% of the vote in Maryland to earn the Maryland Green Party a place on the ballot in upcoming elections. Pundits say we’ve got a good chance with Wes Moore (D) leading Trump-designate Dan Cox (R) by more than 30 points.
The numbers game
Receiving 1% of the popular vote as a Green Party candidate is a daunting task, considering the grand coalition of Democrats, Republicans and the corporate-controlled media committed to our demise. This reality is the same in every state. We are revolutionaries, although committed to constitutional order. See our Ten Key Values.
In 2018, the Maryland Green Party ticket of Ian Schlakman and Annie Chambers received 11,175 votes out of a total of 2,304,512 total votes cast. That came to .48% of the popular vote. Because the party was unable to meet the 1% threshold, it was required to collect 10,000 signatures from eligible voters to appear on the ballot. We don’t want to have to do that next time around. We figure we’ll need about 25,000 votes to reach our goal of 1%.
The neoliberal Democrats
How can we promote our issues if the media won’t cover them? For instance, who knew the Navy invites foreign governments to fire ballistic missiles into the Potomac River for target practice? Certainly, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer knows because he helped to arrange it. The Navy routinely tests explosives in the Potomac. I can hear them almost every day. from my home in St. Mary’s City.
Who knew?
Oystermen in the lower Potomac know about it. Some have reported dredging up parts of exploded missiles. Military operations contaminate the river with Mercury, Arsenic, PCB’s DDT, Chromium VI, TNT, Thorium 229, and Perchlorate. Democrats and Republicans aren’t going to address this!
Four years ago, I ran for Congress against Rep. Steny Hoyer in Maryland’s 5th congressional district. Hoyer is in his 21st term as a member of the House. I ran on the Maryland Green Party ticket and I received 1.3% of the vote while Rep. Hoyer got 70.3%. Hoyer routinely raises tens of millions of dollars from the same corporations we say ought to be further taxed and regulated like they are in much of the developed world. Of course, Hoyer doesn’t need the corporate bribes so he funnels the cash to Democratic candidates who will toe the neoliberal line.
Four townhall meetings were held during the 2018 campaign while Rep. Hoyer failed to attend any of the events. Republicans were amused with my campaign while Democrats demanded to know why I would want to “take votes away from a Democrat and risk electing a Republican.” I responded by explaining that many of the issues I addressed would never be discussed otherwise and that Hoyer had it sewn up anyway.
Certainly, Hoyer is not going to demand that the military stops contaminating the environment in Maryland and begins cleaning up the mess it has made. Hoyer and the Democrats are silent about PFAS contaminating the state’s seafood. Mum’s the word on the lethal impact of incinerating our trash, which contains PFAS, or spreading deadly coal ash around the state. Steny is OK with using carcinogens in pesticides in Maryland. Hoyer and the Democrats are defenders of the corporate status quo.
Let’s shift our focus to Wes Moore, the Democratic candidate for governor. Moore is a “carbon” copy of Hoyer. Moore has raised $8.5 million and much of it has come from corporate sources. We don't consider it ethical for decision-makers to take money from the industries they're supposed to be regulating.
Moore says he will re-establish Maryland as the national and global leader in clean energy. What is he talking about? Maryland has been filthy dirty for generations. Moore neglects to address trash incineration or coal-fired plants.
Moore has been silent on PFAS. Doing so will alienate key corporate constituencies, and the military. PFOA, (per fluoro octanoic acid), has been found in the groundwater at a concentration of 435,000 parts per trillion at Joint Base Andrews in Clinton, Maryland, while the EPA says groundwater shouldn’t exceed .004 ppt. The water at JB Andrews is 108.75 million times over that limit. The fish in creeks, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay near military installations are poisoned with PFAS chemicals but Moore won’t address it. See my article, Maryland’s Poisoned Fish
The Wallace-Elder program is serious about the environment. We are calling for an emergency economic transformation to renewable energy, including 100% renewable electricity supply by 2028, and all other energy uses by 2030.
On health care, Moore talks vaguely about “ensuring every Marylander has access to quality, affordable health care coverage” while we call for single payer health care. There are dozens of other issues where the differences are striking.
I am convinced that there are 25,000 voters in Maryland who will agree with pretty much everything here.
If Nancy and I receive 1.3% of the vote this time around, it will be a great success. Both of us have dedicated substantial parts of our lives to protecting the environment. We’re in it for the right reasons.
You can read about our campaign here: https://wallaceforgovernor.us/issues/
Please consider forwarding this email to like-minded progressives in Maryland.
Four years ago, I ran for Congress against Rep. Steny Hoyer in Maryland’s 5th congressional district. Hoyer is in his 21st term as a member of the House. I ran on the Maryland Green Party ticket and I received 1.3% of the vote while Rep. Hoyer got 70.3%. Hoyer routinely raises tens of millions of dollars from the same corporations we say ought to be further taxed and regulated like they are in much of the developed world. Of course, Hoyer doesn’t need the corporate bribes so he funnels the cash to Democratic candidates who will toe the neoliberal line.
Four townhall meetings were held during the 2018 campaign while Rep. Hoyer failed to attend any of the events. Republicans were amused with my campaign while Democrats demanded to know why I would want to “take votes away from a Democrat and risk electing a Republican.” I responded by explaining that many of the issues I addressed would never be discussed otherwise and that Hoyer had it sewn up anyway.
Certainly, Hoyer is not going to demand that the military stops contaminating the environment in Maryland and begins cleaning up the mess it has made. Hoyer and the Democrats are silent about PFAS contaminating the state’s seafood. Mum’s the word on the lethal impact of incinerating our trash, which contains PFAS, or spreading deadly coal ash around the state. Steny is OK with using carcinogens in pesticides in Maryland. Hoyer and the Democrats are defenders of the corporate status quo.
Let’s shift our focus to Wes Moore, the Democratic candidate for governor. Moore is a “carbon” copy of Hoyer. Moore has raised $8.5 million and much of it has come from corporate sources. We don't consider it ethical for decision-makers to take money from the industries they're supposed to be regulating.
Moore says he will re-establish Maryland as the national and global leader in clean energy. What is he talking about? Maryland has been filthy dirty for generations. Moore neglects to address trash incineration or coal-fired plants.
Moore has been silent on PFAS. Doing so will alienate key corporate constituencies, and the military. PFOA, (per fluoro octanoic acid), has been found in the groundwater at a concentration of 435,000 parts per trillion at Joint Base Andrews in Clinton, Maryland, while the EPA says groundwater shouldn’t exceed .004 ppt. The water at JB Andrews is 108.75 million times over that limit. The fish in creeks, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay near military installations are poisoned with PFAS chemicals but Moore won’t address it. See my article, Maryland’s Poisoned Fish
The Wallace-Elder program is serious about the environment. We are calling for an emergency economic transformation to renewable energy, including 100% renewable electricity supply by 2028, and all other energy uses by 2030.
On health care, Moore talks vaguely about “ensuring every Marylander has access to quality, affordable health care coverage” while we call for single payer health care. There are dozens of other issues where the differences are striking.
I am convinced that there are 25,000 voters in Maryland who will agree with pretty much everything here.
If Nancy and I receive 1.3% of the vote this time around, it will be a great success. Both of us have dedicated substantial parts of our lives to protecting the environment. We’re in it for the right reasons.
You can read about our campaign here: https://wallaceforgovernor.us/issues/
Please consider forwarding this email to like-minded progressives in Maryland.