Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign

The 2020 U.S. presidential campaign of Howie Hawkins, both the co-founder of the Green Party and thrice its gubernatorial candidate in New York, was informally launched on April 3, 2019, when Hawkins announced the formation of an exploratory committee and formally announced his campaign on May 28, 2019, to seek the Green Party nomination for the presidency of the United States in the 2020 presidential election and later the Socialist Party USA.[2][3] Hawkins is also running for the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party, Oregon Progressive Party, United Citizens Party, Liberty Union Party, and the Vermont Progressive Party.[4]

Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign
Campaign2020 Green primaries
2020 Peace and Freedom primaries
2020 U.S. presidential election
Candidate
AffiliationGreen Party
Socialist Party
Status
  • Formed exploratory committee: April 3, 2019
  • Announced: May 28, 2019
  • Presumptive nominee: June 20, 2020
HeadquartersSyracuse, New York
ReceiptsUS$189,586.60[1]
Slogan"For an Ecosocialist Green New Deal"
Website
howiehawkins.us
This article is part of a series about
Howie Hawkins
Gubernational campaigns
Presidential campaign
Political party affiliations

On October 26, 2019, Hawkins won the nomination of the Socialist Party USA as part of his effort to unite smaller left-wing parties.[5] In November, Hawkins was endorsed by Solidarity.[6] On March 5, 2020, he lost the California Peace and Freedom Party primary to Gloria La Riva.[7][8]

On May 5, 2020, Hawkins announced that former Socialist Party USA vice presidential candidate Angela Nicole Walker would be his running mate.[9][10]

Background

In the 1980s, Hawkins joined the green movement. In 1988, Howie and Murray Bookchin founded the Left Green Network "as a radical alternative to U.S. Green liberals", based around the principles of social ecology and libertarian municipalism.[11] In the early 1990s a press conference was held in Washington, D.C., that featured Charles Betz, Joni Whitmore, Hilda Mason, and Howie Hawkins to announce the formation of the Greens/Green Party USA.[12] Later in December 1999, Mike Feinstein and Hawkins wrote the Plan for a Single National Green Party which was the plan to organize the ASGP and GPUSA into a single Green Party.[13] Over the next decade he would run in multiple New York Senate and House races.[14]

In the 2010 New York gubernatorial election Hawkins surpassed the 50,000-vote requirement to stay on the ballot in the gubernatorial election. In the 2014 election, he received enough to move the Green Party line to Row D on the ballot as he had taken one-third more than the Working Families Party and twice as much as the Independence Party.[15] In the 2018 election, Hawkins received 80,000 fewer votes than he did in his 2014 run. As a result the party was lowered one row down to Row E, but retained ballot access.[16]

In 2012 Hawkins was approached over the possibility of running for the Green Party presidential nomination. He declined due to his employment commitments at UPS, which he maintained would interfere with a national campaign.[17]

Following his retirement from UPS, Hawkins was approached again to run by a draft movement via a public letter addressed to him. The letter was signed by former Green vice presidential nominees Cheri Honkala and Ajamu Baraka, former Green mayoral candidate and Nader's 2008 running mate Matt Gonzalez, and other prominent Green Party members.[18]

Campaign

On April 3, 2019, Hawkins announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to prepare for a potential candidacy for the Green Party 2020 presidential nomination and later Hawkins formally launched his campaign on May 28, 2019, in Brooklyn, New York.[19][20][21]

On August 23, 2019, the Hawkins campaign announced they had met the requisite federal matching funds for California and New York.[22] The campaign must receive $5,000 from residents, with no more than $250 counted for each contribution, in at least 20 states to qualify for the funds. Only his campaign and Steve Bullock's applied for primary season matching funds.[23]

On February 20, 2020, Hawkins published a statement critical of his opponent in the Peace and Freedom Party nomination primary, Gloria LaRiva, alleging that she supported "a 'safe strategy' of supporting Bernie Sanders in the 'battleground' states" and stating "you didn't join the Peace and Freedom Party to support Democrats."[24] LaRiva responded stating that it was "not an honest critique" and "[f]or Hawkins to further imply that he is the stronger supporter of Peace and Freedom is not convincing. Hawkins is already seeking the Green Party presidential nomination..."[25] LaRiva won the Peace and Freedom Party primary, receiving 67% to Hawkins' 33%.[7]

Political positions

Climate change

Hawkins supports the Green Party's version of the Green New Deal that would serve as a transitional plan to a one hundred percent clean, renewable energy by 2030 utilizing a carbon tax, jobs guarantee, free college, single-payer healthcare and a focus on using public programs.[26][27][28]

He is a critic of the Democratic version of the Green New Deal written by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stating that "unfortunately, they took the brand but watered down the content".[29]

Democratic Party reform

Hawkins disagrees with the "party-within-the-party" approach to the Democratic Party advocated by organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America or by individuals such as Bernie Sanders.[30] Instead, he believes that socialists should build up an independent Left party.[30]

Participatory democracy

Hawkins advocates for expansion of town meetings, expanding their powers to enact legislation and granting them the power to recall representatives.[31]

Endorsements
Main article: List of Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign endorsements

References
  1. "HAWKINS, HOWIE".
  2. "Howie Hawkins, Syracuse resident, exploring run for Green Party presidential nod". Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  3. "Howie Hawkins, Syracuse resident, exploring run for Green Party presidential nod". Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  4. "Howie Hawkins Wins Socialist Party USA Nomination, Green Candidate Seeks To Build Left Unity With Multiple Nominations". Howie Hawkins for President. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  5. "Howie Hawkins wins Socialist Party USA nomination for 2020 presidential race". Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  6. "Howie Hawkins for President". Solidarity.
  7. "President Peace and Freedom". CA Sec. of State. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020.
  8. "Gloria La Riva designated presumptive Peace & Freedom Party presidential nominee". Peace and Freedom Party. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  9. https://howiehawkins.us/angela-walker-for-vice-president
  10. https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/05/howie-hawkins-announces-running-mate/
  11. Biehl, Janet (22 March 2015). "The Left Green Network (1988–91)". Ecology or Catastrophe. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  12. "Official Formation of the Green Party-USA". Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  13. "The Greens/Green Party USA". Archived from the original on 2017-08-10.
  14. "0-for-23: An Undeterred Green Party Candidate on His Long Losing Streak". Archived from the original on 2019-04-26.
  15. "Third party's profile rises". Archived from the original on 2018-11-18.
  16. "Howie Hawkins wins enough votes to keep Green Party status in NY". Archived from the original on 2019-04-12.
  17. "Why is Syracuse's Howie Hawkins running for president? 'It's hard to say no'". Archived from the original on 2019-04-10.
  18. "Sign On: Greens And Allies Urge Howie Hawkins To Seek Presidential Nomination". Archived from the original on 2019-04-02.
  19. robert.harding@lee.net, Robert Harding. "Howie Hawkins, Syracuse resident, exploring run for Green Party presidential nod". Auburn Citizen. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  20. "Howie Hawkins for President Exploratory Committee – A Green Ecosocialist for President". March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  21. "Howie Hawkins will seek Green nomination for president". Times Union. May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  22. Hawkins, Howie [@HowieHawkins20] (23 August 2019). "Thank you, @cagreenparty" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 August 2019 – via Twitter.
  23. "Montana Governor Steve Bullock Will Apply for Primary Season Matching Funds". Archived from the original on 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  24. "Howie Hawkins: You didn't join the Peace and Freedom Party to support Democrats". PSL. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  25. "Gloria La Riva: Howie Hawkins's critique of PSL's critical support for Sanders campaign "not honest"". PSL. Retrieved Mar 17, 2020.
  26. "Sorry Democrats, the Green Party Came Up With the Green New Deal!". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16.
  27. "The Democrats Stole the Green Party's Best Idea". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16.
  28. "The 'Green New Deal' isn't really that new". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16.
  29. "The 'Green New Deal' isn't really that new". Archived from the original on 2019-05-29.
  30. Hawkins, Howie. "The case for an independent Left party". International Socialist Review. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  31. "Perspectives and Policies". Howie Hawkins for President. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
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