Jill Stein Influence
Despite pleadings from Democrats for Green Party candidate Jill Stein to exit the race, the determined candidate remained avid in her stand. Stein informed Newsweek that Kamala Harris was solely responsible for her defeat in the Michigan Muslim vote and impugned the Democratic Party for its deteriorating credibility. Dismissing claims that she aided Trump to victory in Michigan and other areas, Stein asserted that her party was instead surpassing Trump’s appeal to the said demographic. Stein declared the Green Party’s output in Dearborn and sizable parts of Michigan laudable, alluding to the close contest with Trump’s 47% and Harris’ 28% – her party amassing 22% of the votes. She criticized the Democrats’ ‘voter suppression’ as a barrier to a larger vote share, recounting the ‘affirming and uplifting’ outcome in Dearborn, where her party scooped 22% of the vote.
Stein’s Election Performance
Jill Stein clinched 0.4% of the voters’ preference, totaling 628,129 votes according to The Associated Press. Stein reiterated that both the Republicans and Democrats served Wall Street interest and the war machinery and failed the American citizens. However, Stein’s messages struggled to resonate with a majority of the voters, with her party performing credibly only in Dearborn, Michigan, home to a large Arab American population and scoring 18% of the vote in that city. On the flip side, she was met with criticism for potentially diverting crucial votes that otherwise could have tilted the scale in favor of Hillary Clinton in her 2016 loss to Trump. A key highlight from Stein’s campaigning was her vocal criticism of U.S’s support for Israel, which magnetized the large Muslim and Arab-American community in the swing state of Michigan.
Stein’s Future Prospects
Green Party candidate Stein proudly touted the performance of her party during the elections and its impact on the Muslim American community. Despite only winning 22% of the vote, Stein saw large potential for growth and connection with this community in Michigan and beyond. While not eager to consider another presidential run, Stein emphasized her ongoing commitment to advocating for peace in the Middle East, a prominent aspect of her campaign. Her outlook on the Democratic Party was bleak, condemning them as out of touch with their base and unappealing to the public. Accordingly, Stein’s vision for the Green Party positioned it as a source of opposition to Trump. Despite the uphill battle facing the party and claims that her role as a ‘spoiler’ contributed to Trump’s win, Stein held her ground against the critics and vowed continuation of her advocacy work and opposition stance.
Green Party Goals
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein passionately argued for her role as a ‘spoiler’, rebuking claims of it been detrimental to achieving election success by stating that it was merely self-serving propaganda. Stein’s platform as the ‘anti-genocide’, ‘pro-worker’, and ‘climate emergency’ nominee presented her run as a battle to gain attention for these key issues. Despite surmounting resistance, Stein remained buoyant on the potential and importance of the Green Party and its values. From this perspective, even though the polling numbers suggested a slim chance of hitting their goal of 5% of the national vote, Stein remained optimistic about the future engagement and advancement of the Green Party.
