After denouncing one of its candidates last week, the Montana Green Party has received commitment statements from five remaining candidates running for congressional and state legislative seats.
The party issued a statement denouncing John Gibney last Friday after he refused to apologize for what they described as “bigoted” comments made during a 2016 anti-immigration rally in Missoula.
Gibney reportedly told the Missoulian that Obama was a “black Muslim trying to bring this country down” and that immigrants “rape, kill and destroy.”
Party officials had requested that remaining candidates provide statements of commitment to the party’s values in an effort to insure their legitimacy.
Danielle Breck is the Green Party Coordinator.
“It was important for the party’s image but it’s also a very useful way to start getting our candidate’s names into the public,” she said.
All five candidates issued those statements Monday.
Timothy Adams and Steve Kelly are challenging Jon Tester in the U.S Senate race. Doug Campbell is chasing Greg Gianforte’s U.S. House seat.
Adrien Owen Wagner is running for a Montana House seat and Greg Strandberg is vying for a State Senate seat currently occupied by Democrat Diane Sands.
Party Coordinator Breck says the Green Party platform includes ecological responsibility, social equality, and getting corporate money out of politics.
She say accusations that the party is trying to spoil the election for Democrat and Republican hopefuls is unfair and disregards a building movement.
“I think we have a good group of candidates, we’re working together actively, we don’t have a lot of money, we don’t have a lot of resources, what we do have is excited people and people who want to knock on doors and talk on phones and get to know their neighbors and talk about these issues,” Breck said.
Candidate statements can be viewed on online at mtgreenparty.com.
