By Anthony Noel
NPA Volunteer

More than 10 months ago, when these elections were on barely anyone’s mind, The New Progressive Alliance’s Ed Griffith had already been hard at work on them.

Besides being a prolific contributor to the NPA Blog – where he has amassed more than 5,000 references in articles supporitng NPA’s contention that our electoral process is a sham, with far-reaching negative impacts on all Americans – Ed has led our push for recognition as a United Nations NGO. And each January, he begins searching for alt party and independent candidates in the next cycle, then seeks their endorsement of the NPA’s Unified Platform.

In the three cycles since NPA’s founding here at MyFDL, more than 80 candidates have embraced the UP’s commonsense policy objectives. Of the 16 who endorsed the Platform earlier this year, 10 made the general election ballot – giving almost 40 million voters TRULY Progressive options to the two-party trap.

We’ve linked below to these candidates’ profiles, which were prepared by NPA volunteers and based on the candidates’ responses to a detailed questionnaire we sent over the summer.

Below each link, you will also find our rating of each candidacy. Available rankings range from “Full Endorsement” to “Full Censure,” and are based on such factors as the campaign’s web/social media presence, overall organizational effectiveness and enthusiasm in running the campaign, proactivity with NPA and prospective constituents, and willingness to challenge the status quo in order to gain inclusion in debates, coverage by traditional media, etc. Finally, we looked for signs of softening or compromise on the points of the UP.

We’ve weighed all these factors in arriving at the rankings below, the rationale for each of which, along with the linked profiles, we hope will serve as a voters’ guide for true Progressives (as distinct from Democrats) – and a reminder of the work still to be done in giving voters in every polling place in our nation choices beyond the Lesser Evil. And so, without further ado…

Colorado

Gary Swing (Green), United States Senate
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
Gary Swing, a repeat endorser of the Unified Platform (he ran for U.S. House two years ago) has run an engaged, energetic campaign with limited funds. His uncompromising stance on environmental issues is central to his appeal, but he brings new thinking on other issues which would guarantee a strong voice for traditional Progressivism in the United States Senate.

Florida

Farid Khavari (Independent), Governor
NPA Ranking: Qualified Endorsement
Farid Khavari seeks the governorship in a state whose politics can only be described a batshit crazy. His qualified endorsement by NPA is based on his support for U.S. involvement in fighting ISIS in the Mideast. Though this runs counter to the Unified Platform’s top plank of “Peace,” it is mitigated by Khavari’s incredibly detailed and thoughtful social program proposals, not to mention his inability as a native of Iran to seek the presidency, the personal psychological impact of his father’s murder by the Republican Guard, and his limited ability to have real impact on United States foreign policy, make Khavari, we believe, a sound choice for Progressive Florida voters seeking to restore sanity to their state.

Maine

Asher Platts (Green), Maine Senate, District 27
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
In his second Maine Senate campaign in as many cycles, and at just 31 years of age, Asher Platts’ is setting a new standard for work ethic in political campaigning. He is unrelenting, unapologetic for his decidedly Leftist policy objective, and able to energize voters, as his 5,000+ vote tally in his first campaign shows. He is up against the same Democrat in this race, and has taken the lessons of his first run seriously.

Daniel Stromgren (Green), Maine House, District 54
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
Like Platts, Daniel Stromgren is in his second campaign, and his chances of winning could be better. The incumbent Democrat withdrew from this race just after the primary, and Stromgren has made it his mission to knock on every door in the district. This commitment, along with commonsense proposals to support and protect public education from a governor who support charter schools, earn Stromgren NPA’s unqualified endorsement.

Minnesota

Lena Buggs (Green), MN House District 65-A
NPA Ranking: Neutral
Buggs’ name is not linked to a profile because she offered no response to NPA’s candidate questionnaire. We therefore cannot provide any ranking, positive or negative, under our own rules. Progressive voters in MN District 65-A, it is up to you to do the research we tried to do in deciding whether Buggs deserves your vote.

Robin Hensel (Independent), Mayor of Little Falls
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
This one is easy: Robin Hensel is what every true activist should be. Simple as that.

New York

Howie Hawkins (Green), Governor
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
Howie Hawkins has run a determined campaign and it shows in his poll numbers, which indicate his Green Party, which he has been doggedly building for years could displace the Conservative Party as the Empire State’s third-largest on the strength of Hawkins’ gubernatorial run.

Brian Jones (Green), Lieutenant Governor
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
Jones is a teacher who understands the threat of charter schools to education for all. As an African American, he is acutely aware of systemic segregation in a state often held out as a bastion for equality, when the facts on the ground tell a very different story, and has succeeded in making that disparity a top issue of the campaign.

Ohio

Bob Hart (Green) for United States House, District 12
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
Hart, and attorney, represented Occupy Columbus supporters in court, and has been in public service for years under the reigning lesser evilists. His election as a Green in a swing state like Ohio would be a shot across the bow which the corporatist parties simply could not ignore.

Texas

Kenneth Kendrick (Green), State Agriculture Commissioner
NPA Ranking: Full Endorsement
Ken Kendrick’s story is that of a man who risked – and lost – his career and marriage for telling the truth. We at NPA believe no one should have to make that choice, and therefore made an exception to our rule of not endorsing anyone during the profiling phase of our process. Kendrick’s brand of dedication to protecting people from profit-hungry corporatists – who will now be doing jail time thanks in part to his whistleblowing – deserves our deepest thanks, praise, encouragement – and recognition, by electing people of Kendrick’s moral stature. Texas voters, we urge you to read his story, and share it with your friends, and reward with a chance to protect you and your families, rather than Texas land barons.

On behalf of NPA volunteers Ed Griffith, Andy McCoy, Sondra Miller and myself, thank you, true Progressives, for refusing to settle. To learn more about the NPA and/or volunteer to work with us, please visit NewProgs.org