Meet third party candidate Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for President
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - The Green Party National Convention was held in Houston, TX this weekend. On Saturday, they announced Dr. Jill Stein as their official candidate for President of the United States. She spoke to conference attendees and held a press conference Saturday afternoon to discuss her campaign platform.
It is the Chicago native's second consecutive run as the Green Party nominee for the nation's Commander in Chief; she earned a half million votes in the 2012 election.
This time, she cites a divide in the democratic party as being a possible key to success in 2016. Her team believes Bernie Sanders supporters are choosing her party due to similarities in platform and policy.
"On the day Bernie endorsed Hillary, suddenly the floodgates opened in our fundraising," said Dr. Stein at Saturday's press conference.
Dr. Steins campaign actively targets Hillary Clinton with her hash-tag "#JillNotHill", positioning Stein as an alternative option for those seeking a progressive female candidate.
Stein claims the Democratic party sabotaged itself by choosing Clinton as their nominee.
"If you look at the polls, Bernie Sanders was winning in case after case," Stein claimed. "If anyone's spoiling of the election, it's the DNC for eliminating the guy who could have beat Trump."
Dr. Stein did not cite which polls she was referencing in her claim.
On Friday night, a Green Party representative told FOX 26 they are not looking to be divisive, and instead targeting undecided voters.
A recent FOX News poll showed 13% of voters have either not picked a candidate, are interested in a third party, or planning not to vote.
In an election where immigrant and minority votes are highly sought, Dr. Stein presents herself as the best option.
"Donald trump rails against Muslims and how dangerous they are, but Hillary Clinton approved the war in Iraq in which 1 million Iraqis were killed," said Stein, who cited multiple other Clinton decisions she felt contributed to danger or harm to others.
While their convention, like the party itself, does not have the size and power of the Democrats of Republicans, Dr. Stein believes they have the politics America needs, saying "we are now carrying that torch for that progressive agenda. Forget the lesser evil, and vote for the greater good like our lives depend on it. Because they do"
Dr. Jill Stein will take part in a nationally televised town hall on August 17th.