Jonathan Carter (politician)
| Jonathan Carter | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Environmentalist; Educator, Scientist |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Carter |
| Children | Two |
Jonathan Carter is an American politician, environmentalist and scientist who has run twice for governor of Maine as a Green Independent and once for U.S. Congress. In 1992, Carter ran for Congress in Maine's 2nd congressional district. This campaign was designed to educate the public and to establish a green network of social, economic, and ecological activists. He was able to get 27,526 votes for 8.8% of the vote[1] with an expenditure of less than $20,000 and no paid media.
Early life
Carter was born in Connecticut and attended Deerfield Academy, a prep school in Deerfield, Massachusetts.[2] He earned a B.A. from Williams College, an M.S. in Botany and Forest Pathology from the University of New Hampshire, and begun work on a doctorate at the University of Maine and Antioch College.[3] Carter moved to Maine in 1978 and lives in a farm nineteenth century farmhouse on his farm in Lexington, Maine, which is located in the unorganized territory of Central Somerset, Maine. His farm grows organic food as well as maintaining a woodlot.[3]
Environmental Work
Carter is best known in Maine for his work on forestry issues. He directed the 1996 ban clear cutting campaign, 'No on the Compact' (1997) and the 'Forest for the Future Campaign' (2000). In spite of the fifteen million dollars spent by the paper corporations to defeat his efforts, the under funded campaigns kept it close. Unfortunately for Carter, both referendum campaigns were unsuccessful.[4] He currently serves as director of the Forest Ecology Network,[5] the largest grassroots forest activist network in Maine.
Runs for Governor
1994
In 1994, Carter made his first run for governor of Maine. Carter's campaign received 32,695 votes for 6.4% of the vote,[6] which was enough for the Maine Green Party to achieve ballot status in eyes of the state.[7]
2002
In 2002, Carter again ran for governor. In that campaign, he promoted himself as the first and only candidate to that time to run for governor as a publicly financed candidate thanks to the Maine Clean Elections Act.[8] Carter received 46,903 votes for 9.3% of the vote.[9] At the time his campaign, there were only 9,000 registered Green Independent voters in Maine. The Library of Congress recorded and stored a web archive of his campaigns website.[10] His campaign also retained and extended the ballot status of the Maine Green Independent Party through 2006.[7]
References
- ↑ "General Election Tabulations - November 3, 1992". Government of Maine. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ↑ Higgins, A.J. (October 30, 2002). "Jonathan Carter Populist candidate reaches out for votes". Bangor Daily News. p. A7. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- 1 2 "Vote 2002". PBS.org. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ↑ Bruce, Noah (December 6–13, 2001). "CAMPAIGN 2002: Green Party rising". The Phoenix. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
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- ↑ "Ad Watch: Jonathan Carter". Sun Journal. September 30, 2002. p. A6. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
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