Carl Romanelli, candidate for US Senate, and Marakay Rogers,
candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, were nominated by the Green
Party of Pennsylvania at its state convention in Wilkes-Barre on
February 26. Christina Valente, of Philadelphia, was nominated for Lt.
Governor.
Romanelli, a Wilkes-Barre resident and rail industry consultant, will face
incumbent Republican Rick Santorum and his Democratic challenger,
presumably Bob Casey, Jr., in the November elections. Unlike his
opponents, Romanelli favors universal health care, immediate U.S.
withdrawal from Iraq, reproductive freedom, and the right to same-sex
marriage. Romanelli considers himself "the only candidate with a
different platform" and the one alternative to two opponents with almost
identical platforms.
Rogers, an attorney from York, was the party's Attorney General
candidate in 2004. Her agenda includes universal health care for
Pennsylvania, abolition of the state death penalty, protection of
reproductive freedom, and legislative reform. She also supports
same-sex marriage and Pennsylvania ballot access reform. Rogers is
the lead plaintiff in the current federal case against the Commonwealth
alleging unequal treatment of minor political parties to ballot access in
Pennsylvania.
Rogers' running mate, Christina Valente, currently teaches
environmental law and policy and technology regulation to under-
graduates at Villanova University and Temple University. She formerly
practiced law with the Environmental Protection Agency and has co-
authored two books, one on environmental law and the other on
education law. Valente is a member of the Green Party of Philadephia.
Her agenda includes environmental protection, educational funding
reforms, and universal health care for Pennsylvania.
Rogers already has received endorsements from 2004 Green Party
Presidential candidate David Cobb and Vice-Presidential candidate
Pat LaMarche.
The candidates currently face an uphill battle to obtain over 67,000
signatures in order to be placed on the ballot in November. A signature
drive will begin on March 8 and run until the beginning of August.
The party additionally formally nominated four Congressional and six
state representative candidates from districts across the state, including
Traci Confer of Northeast Philadelphia for State Representative in the
174th District, Michael Rosenberg of West Philadelphia for State
Representative in the 188th District, and Dave Baker for U.S. Congress
in the 2nd District.
Speakers at the convention included Kevin Zeese, Green candidate for
U.S. Senate in Maryland, and Michael Berg, Green candidate for
Congress in Delaware and father of Iraq war victim Nicholas Berg. |
