Inside Politics
Greg Pierce
Green growth
"Inspired by Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential campaign, the Green Party is on the rise in Pennsylvania," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
"It has won state recognition as an official party, and is fielding 30 candidates in local elections this November for offices ranging from school board to mayor. The Greens are drawing new support from many liberal Democrats who believe their party has drifted rightward," reporter Thomas Fitzgerald writes.
Mr. Nader, the Green candidate, captured 103,392 Pennsylvania votes in November, more than 2 percent of the highest vote-getter's statewide total, and in more than 10 counties, meeting the state's threshold for recognition as a political party. The Constitution Party, the Libertarians and the Reform Party all fell short, the Inquirer said.