Run Green - December 2013

Will you run for office?

Greens are known for "thinking globally and running locally." As of December 2013, there are 53 elected Greens in California. For more information about running for office as a Green, please contact Richard Gomez, GPCA Campaigns & Candidates Working Group.

If you are considering running for a statewide office as a Green in 2014, please review this information. The Green Party has already endorsed five candidates for statewide office in 2014: Luis Rodriguez (Governor),Laura Wells (Controller), Ellen Brown (Treasurer) and David Curtis (Secretary of State). No endorsements have been made for Lt. Governor, Attorney General or Insurance Commissioner. For the endorsed Greens to appear on the June 2014 ballot, they each have to get 10,000 signatures on nomination petitions from registered California voters. Join their nomination petition signature drive here.


Step #1: Identify the offices available to run for in your area

In 2014, there will be multiple offices open on the municipal, county, state and federal level. To find the municipal and county races in your area, check with the Registrar's office in your county.  These seats are non-partisan and elections will mostly be held in March, April, June and November.  Our greatest electoral successes have been at the local level. More than 290 California Greens have been elected to local office since the party's founding in 1990.

On the state and federal level, there will be 80 State Assembly, 20 State Senate and 53 congressional seats up for election. Find your district here. The Summary of Qualifications and Requirements for these offices are:  

• United States Congressmember 
• State Senator and State Assemblymember

Step #2: Assess your skills and experience

What office best suits you, your skills, experience and interests? What does the Green Party of California platform have to say about the issues you would be running on? How much do you feel in alignment with the platform?

Step #3: Talk to your friends, colleagues and local Green Party leaders

To run a successful campaign, it helps to have a record of prior involvement in the community, as well as the support of friends and family, Greens and others active in politics. Seek advice from other Greens in your area who have run for office. Get input, seek support from local Green Party leaders and the endorsement of the Green Party county organization(s) in the area in which you are running. 

Step #4: Make sure you meet the deadline for filing for office

Each office has its own deadline for taking out nomination signature petitions and for handing them in. Check with the County Registrar's office to learn the deadline for the office you are interested in. To run for partisan state or federal office as a Green in the June 2014 primary election, you must be registered Green no later than the time you hand in your required filing documents.

Step #5: Identify the deadlines, requirements and fees required to run for state and federal office

• Candidate Resources (California Secretary of State)
• Videos: Candidate & Treasurer Workshop - Parts 1234 and 5 (California Fair Political Practices Commission)
• Campaign Guide for Congressional Candidates and Committees (Federal Elections Commission)