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With recent polls placing Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump nearly tied in the nation’s presidential election, votes for third-party candidates may make all the difference in deciding the election’s outcome.
Dr. Rudolph “Butch” Ware, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s VP pick, is an associate professor in the history department at UC Santa Barbara, focusing on Africa and Islam. Ware is a first-time political candidate.
The Green Party focuses on environmental and social justice; some of the party’s current stances include establishing an economic bill of rights, investing in eco-friendly jobs and technologies, and demilitarizing around the world.
On his social media, Ware highlights human rights violations and war crimes committed in Gaza by Israel. Many of Ware’s posts, often cross-posted from Stein, target the Biden administration’s handling of Israel and its actions in Gaza, including providing funds to Israel.
“Any effort to shield the Dems from the inevitable electoral consequences of genocide is evil,” Ware writes in a post on his Instagram page. “You — personally — are responsible for the muffling screams of maimed and murdered children.”
Ware has also referenced Democrats as “Blue Maga” on his Instagram and called Harris a “minstrel show white supremist in blackface,” a “warmonger,” and “incompetent” on his X account.
Democrats have raised concern that the Green Party will siphon off votes for Harris, especially in the swing state Michigan, where 40 percent of Muslim voters plan to vote for Stein, compared to 12 percent who plan to vote for Harris, according to a recent poll by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Among polled Muslim voters, Gaza is a top concern.
Trump allies have aided the Green Party in swing states Nevada and Wisconsin in an effort to keep Stein/Ware on the ballot. The Green Party was removed from the ballot in Nevada due to an incorrect petition form; attorney Jay Sekulow, one of Trump’s lawyers during his indictment, represented the party. In Wisconsin, the party accepted representation from Michael D. Dean, a lawyer involved in lawsuits that attempted to overturn the 2020 election.
Ware declined repeated requests for interview. A virtual town hall with Stein and Ware is scheduled for October 29 at 5 p.m.
