Are Potential Candidates “Using” The Green Party In Pennsylvania?
Are there some election shenanigans going on in Pennsylvania?
Sure seems that way.
Last week, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) sent out a press release saying it has learned that there are candidates petitioning to appear on the November general election ballot using the Green Party affiliation.
The issue – the GPPA has not endorsed them.
The announcement also shared several concerning issues by those listed as the committee to fill vacancies or those circulating the petitions for these individuals.
“It is apparent that an effort to achieve ballot access in an un-transparent manner is underway and that some unendorsed candidates have chosen to appear as representing the Green Party. The GPPA is warning the electorate of the commonwealth and is disclosing this information it has discovered. We affirm our values including a people powered democracy which is free of dark money influence.”
The closely-watched PA-07 race has added a new candidate, as Bethlehem Township resident Andrew Tupone has submitted his nomination papers to the Pennsylvania Department of State to appear on the ballot as a representative of the Green Party.
However, Theron Gilliland Jr., who is the Allegheny County “GreenWave Team Leader” charged with identifying, recruiting and supporting candidates, said in a social media post that Tupone is not a member of the party.
“Andrew Tupone is NOT endorsed by the GPPA, NOT being paid by GPPA, his campaign is NOT being organized by anyone in GPPA, etc.,” he wrote. “Pennsylvania state law does not allow the Green Party to control who calls themselves a Green when running for office, so you get Republican operatives like Andrew Tupone taking advantage of that.”
Is Tupone a Republican operative? Perhaps not an operative, but Tupone ran for the office of magisterial district judge as a Republican and according to voter records, was a registered member of the GOP and voted in primaries since at least 2008. He finished second in the GOP primary in that 2015 contest to the late Patricia Broscius.
Pennsylvania law requires third-party candidates for the U.S. House in PA-07 to secure 2% of the largest vote cast in the district for any officer elected at the last preceding election. For 2026, that requirement is 4,074 signatures.
Tupone has turned over at least that many signatures in his quest to appear on the November 3 ballot, despite GPPA opposition. Although, according to a report in Punchbowl News, residents reported being solicited by people collecting signatures for Tupone who said they were paid to do so. One petitioner said he was making $30 an hour but wouldn’t say who was paying him, according to a person who spoke to him.
That often brings more scrutiny to the petitions, which will be gone through with a fine-toothed comb for any discrepancies that would disqualify the signature.
Why does the possible entry of a third-party candidate in the PA-07 race cause such angst? One does not have to look deep into Pennsylvania history to see the difference another option on the ballot can have on the outcome.
In the 2024 U.S. Senate contest, Dave McCormick bested incumbent Bob Casey by a little more than 15,000 votes. All three third-party candidates exceeded that margin total and combined for nearly 180,000 votes. Green Party candidate Leila Hazou picked up 66,388 votes. If two-thirds of those votes are cast for Casey, he is back in Washington.
Another example occurred in the 2016 presidential election, when Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 0.82% of the vote or 49,941 votes in all. Donald Trump earned his first term in the White House that year by just 0.73% or 44,000 votes.
Why do we assume that a Green Party candidate would hurt Democrats? When one looks at the Green Party’s 10 key values, it does seem logical that the GPPA would siphon votes away from a Democratic candidate.
- Grassroots Democracy
- Social Justice and Equal Opportunity
- Ecological Wisdom
- Nonviolence
- Decentralization
- Community-Based Economics and Economic Justice
- Feminism and Gender Equity
- Respect for Diversity
- Personal and Global Responsbility
- Future Focus and Sustainability
That brings us back to the Lehigh Valley contest.
PA-07 is one of four vital races for Democrats to win in their quest to take back the majority in the U.S. House. Incumbent Republican Rep., Ryan Mackenzie is facing a challenge from former union leader Bob Brooks in what is expected to be a highly-competitive race. Two years ago, Mackenzie ousted Susan Wild by just over 4,000 votes, while Wild held off challenger Lisa Scheller in 2022 by just under 6,000 votes.
The Brooks campaign was quick with a response to the story.
“After lighting $1.7 million on fire in a failed attempt to try and stop firefighter Bob Brooks in the primary, it appears that Republicans are once again pursuing a desperate scheme to meddle in this race because Ryan Mackenzie can’t stand on his own record,” said campaign manager Jenna Kaufman. “It is clear that Republicans and their corporate donors are scared of Bob Brooks because they don’t want a working class Pennsylvanian in the halls of Congress, and they know they can’t beat him fair and square after voting to unleash higher prices on Lehigh Valley families. Voters deserve to know who is paying for this effort and whether Ryan Mackenzie and his Republican backers are involved.”
There is also another possible candidate who filed under the Green Party label in PA-08 – Hazou.
The 8th Congressional District seat is also marked by the Democrats as a must-win and the GOP as a must-hold in the quest for control in Washington. Rep. Rob Bresnahan defeated incumbent Democrat Matt Cartwright by 6,200 votes in 2024, but faces a significant challenge from Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.
Hazou’s intentions were clear in an October 2024 interview – punish Democrats.
“I said to myself, maybe we can take some votes away from [Casey]. Maybe we can punish [the Democratic establishment] somehow. Because they can’t just take it for granted that they can do whatever they want, not listen to voters, and still get the votes,” Hazou said.
It is not much of a stretch to imagine that intention continues with the 58-year-old former Wall Street project manager. Although, Hazou indicated to the GPPA she was not sure she would continue to run without their support. She has yet to submit nomination papers to the Department of State.
Third-party candidates have until Monday, August 3, to file nomination papers.
