Moving in to the Governor's Mansion...
If you have heard me talk about the campaign you have probably heard me say something like "I would love it if Dana and I packed up our four cats and six chickens and moved into the Governor's mansion, but I am a student of political science and Maryland history, and I understand the odds are against me..."
Since 1867 when Maryland adopted its current State Constitution (a topic that deserves its own post, or several) there have been 31 Governors. 24 of them have been Democrats and seven of them Republicans, but none have been from a third party, or an independent.
Since 1867 there have been countless conversations about independent or third-party campaigns for Governor of Maryland, and in 24 gubernatorial elections since then, 49 campaigns have appeared on the general election ballot.
- The best performance by a third-party candidate by percentage was in 1895 when Joshua Levering and the Prohibition party got 3.21 percent of the vote with 7719 votes.
- The best performance by number of votes was in 2022 when David Lasher of the Libertarian Party received 30,101 votes and 1.5 percent of the vote.
See data about third party gubernatorial campaigns in Maryland.
I put him in this box because often times independent candidates with name recognition, wealth or power do better in a two-party system than members of third parties. Pressman is one such example.
"Are you saying you are not going to win?"
"This is why we run elections ... if you vote for me I can win ... there always is a first... any given Tuesday in November..."
All of that is true, and I yet think it is worth being realistic with voters and supporters. The truth is most voters know third-party candidates are highly unlikely to win big races, and being honest just feels more authentic.
What I often say is "I am going to run my hardest to be the Governor, but I think it is realistic to aim to have the best third party campaign for Governor since the Civil War. If we can get 100,000 votes for real grassroots democracy, I think that is a win."
This message certainly doesn't appeal to everyone, but it is at least interesting to a good number of people. I remind myself that to achieve the goal, I only have to convince 4 out of every 100 voters!
Perhaps most importantly, it opens up a conversation about how a third party can actually work toward a political goal in a two party system, even if they can not win.
I don't want "You can't win" to be the end of the conversation – I want it to be the start of the conversation.
I usually tell people this, especially if they ask, or suggest that Greens should focus on smaller races, but I do not lead with it.
100,000 votes for the win!
One thing people who know about campaigns love to ask is "what is your win number?" Usually this means how many votes do you need to get in order to be elected. There are a bunch of simple and complex ways to determine the win number, and then according to mainstream campaign lore, once it is determined, it should be the north star that drives campaign strategy. My win number is 100,000 votes. I won't be the governor if I get 100,000 votes, but it will still be a win.
If I get 100,000 votes it will prove without a doubt that Maryland needs a more robust multiparty system, with more parties in power. It will prove that the Green Party should be one of those parties and that our values and solutions resonate with Maryland voters. It will prove that all parties have a place in the debate and that when people hear solutions outside the two-party system they like them.
Our purpose is not to convince voters that we have a healthy multiparty system in Maryland, rather it is to help them imagine that we could have one, and to use the ballot as the power to demand it.
Conclusion
This is a work in progress. As we develop a theory of electoral politics that moves from protest to power, we need to clarify the strategic vision, emphasize the benefits to voters of a multiparty system, and identify actionable next steps.But that is the work yet to come, and the role of this newsletter. We are a little over 500 days out from the election, and 100,000 votes away from the goal, but I am excited to develop the theory, make the case, and win the votes.
I look forward to doing that work with you.
If you have not already, subscribe to the newsletter. If you have comments or ideas you can share them publicly on this post or you can email me at andy@gogreen2026.com.
Authority: Campaign Donations for Andy Ellis- Brian Bittner, Treasurer