Green Party (US)

The US affiliate of the global green movement, founded in 1984, best known for the 2000 Nader campaign.

Overview

The Greens began as committees of correspondence in 1984 and became a formal party in 1991, building on environmentalism, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, and social justice. Its high point remains Ralph Nader in 2000, whose near 2.9 million votes exceeded the Florida margin and fed decades of recrimination about spoiler effects. Jill Stein led the ticket in 2012, 2016, and 2024. The party holds a handful of municipal offices. US Greens remain smaller than European counterparts, constrained by first past the post voting and ballot access law, but they seeded environmental politics that the major parties absorbed.