 The Green Party, which put itself on equal footing with Republicans
and Democrats four years ago, acknowledges that it cannot keep up
with the two major parties in terms of spending or local
organizations.Still, Phil Huckelberry, the Illinois chairman for
the Greens, said the state party is doing what it can to try to
target their voters and get supporters to cast a ballot.
"We're rolling over to using a lot more in the way of social
media, trying to run people through websites, trying to boost a lot
of attention that way. ... Our opponents are going to have a lot of
money, they're going to have lot of commercials running. We're not
going to have a lot of commercials running," he said.
Huckelberry added that since the Green Party cannot buy a
presence on television across the state, they've switched to a
local-first strategy.
"When and where we have a really strong local candidate, we are
trying to put a lot of our energy and focus around that candidate,"
he said. "Because that's a magnet to get people out on Election Day,
that's a magnet to get people to knock on doors."
Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for governor, is trailing
the GOP's Bill Brady and incumbent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in
every statewide poll. Huckelberry said it's often easier to get
volunteers to support Whitney's campaign if the local candidate is
strong.
But while the Greens are trying to organize their party, tea
party supporters in Illinois are not.
There is not a single tea party organization in the state.
Instead Illinois has dozens of local chapters. And those locals say
getting tea party supporters out to vote will be up to candidates.
Seth Cocquite, who organized the West Central Illinois Tea Party
Patriots, said he did it to inform voters and not to become another
political party.
"The rallies that we hold, they're to motivate people and give
them some confidence," he said.
Cocquite said individual candidates need to tap into that
motivation and get people to the polls. And if that doesn't happen,
Cocquite said many tea party supporters don't need to have their
hands held.
"As long as (the voters) stay motivated and they know that it is
important to vote, they will get themselves up and get to the
polls," he said.
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Craig Orlet with the Southern Illinois Tea Party thinks the lack
of a strong organization is what has drawn many people to the tea
party movement.
"There is no infrastructure. The tea party itself is not
centralized. There are no people at the top telling other people
what to do. Each tea party is individualized by itself and run by
those people," Orlet said.
As for a plan, even a local plan to get voters out on Election
Day, Orlet said that's not part of the mission. He believes the tea
party is doing its job with rallies and pressure on elected
officials.
"I wouldn't expect (the tea party) to become a third party. I
think what they're doing now -- getting people out, getting people
active and getting them enthused -- is doing a great deal," said
Orlet.
But Huckelberry, with the Green Party, said becoming an
established party has made all the difference for them. Huckelberry
insists that a solid local organization is key to success. Which is
why he fears that a poor showing this year could strip them of the
established party label.
"At the same time that we have that concern, we have a stronger
party organization in place and we're better able to move forward,
regardless of whether something bad happens to us on Election Day or
not," said Huckelberry.
Calls to Scott Lee Cohen's campaign for a comment on their "get
out the vote" strategy were not returned.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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