Published by Eline Donker·1 minute ago·Modified: 1 minute ago
RTL
Kamala Harris – just like Hillary Clinton in 2016 – can make history: she can become the first female president of the USA. But a possible obstacle is the candidate of the Green Party Jill Stein. She threatens to steal so many left-wing voters away from Kamala Harris that he may lose out on the White House. The same thing happened to the Democratic party in 2016.
The majority of American votes go to either the Democrats or the Republicans. This sometimes makes it seem like there is a two-party system in the country, but there are still several (smaller) parties.
A ‘third party’ is called the Green Party. “These are often protest votes from people who don’t feel at home with the two main parties,” said journalist Erik Mouthaan about the votes that party gets.
There is also the Libertarian Party and there are also people as independent candidates. Together, this group will only get a small percentage of votes on average, but they can have a big impact.
Every vote counts
Jill Stein was also a candidate on behalf of the Green Party in 2016, the year Donald Trump won. Trump’s victory – and thus Hillary Clinton’s defeat – is still held against Stein by the Democrats to this day, she tells the New York Times. “Let’s put it this way; if people are misled by propaganda, they may not be very friendly on the street,” Stein said.
Mouthaan explains why Stein is being blamed for the 2016 election results: “Because it’s so tight between the parties, every vote counts. In the important swing state of Michigan, Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump by 10,000 votes, but Jill Stein received 51,000 votes here.
In the eyes of Democrats, leftists who voted for Stein are responsible for the Trump years and now threaten to endanger democracy.
The family of Stein, who was an internist in Boston for 25 years, is also not a fan of her claim. The New York Times talks to her son, who wants to remain anonymous for fear of negative comments. “She has no family support when it comes to her political activities when she told us in October 2023 that she was going to run for re-election, we asked her not to do that .
Muslim community against Harris
Although she won’t be president, Stein is still an attractive choice for some. In Michigan she can count on the support of part of the Islamic community, because of the support of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to Israel in the Gaza war.
This is why a group of voters turned against the Democrats, and the ‘Abandon Harris’ campaign begins. Because they also don’t want to vote for Trump, they end up with the Green Party. Jill Stein is openly speaking out for ending aid to Israel.
Journalist Erik Mouthaan saw it with his own eyes in Dearborn:
“The activists in Michigan,” Mouthaan shares from his experience in Dearborn, “can live with the fact that Trump could win.
The Democrats are getting worried
Jill Stein is currently polling at 1%, but Kamala Harris’ campaign team sees Stein as a threat. Especially in the decisive swing states, where Stein scores an average of 5%. That’s why the Democratic party has started a counter-campaign, saying: “A vote for Jill Stein is a vote for Donald Trump.” In swing states like Michigan, billboards are popping up saying, “Jill Stein helped Trump before, don’t let her do it again.”
Donald Trump is much more relaxed about Jill Stein’s career. At a rally in Philadelphia, Trump said: “Jill Stein, I really like her. You know why? She’s just pulling voters away from the Democrats.”
“Dearborn activists know Jill Stein won’t win,” Mouthaan said, “but she’s standing up for their principles. And that’s where Stein is getting now.” Perhaps at Harris’ expense.
2024-10-24 06:03:00
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