“People have been politically traumatized,” Stein said in an interview before speaking at the Old South Church. “I feel like I’m a political therapist, and I help people break up with an abusive relationship and get their lives back.”

At her final Boston rally before Election Day, Stein, who is averaging 2.1 percent in polls of likely voters, according to RealClearPolitics, said a “merger of Democrats and Republicans” has formed a one-party system that could give a new opening for the Green Party.

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein returned to her home state of Massachusetts Sunday, telling nearly 200 people that she hopes the electorate will support her message of “social transformation” and not “throw away” their votes with other candidates.


For the Green Party, Nov. 8 is more than just a chance at the presidency, Stein said. It’s a chance to gain party legitimacy on the federal level.

If the party could gain at least 5 percent of the popular vote, it would be eligible for federal funds and gain automatic access to the ballot in some states.

“Every vote could make a critical difference in beginning to open up a politics of integrity that can actually serve people,” she said.

In the audience, people wore shirts and held campaign signs and homemade posters, with phrases such as “America Is Sick” and “Jill Not Hill.”

Stein did not have time for a scheduled question-and-answer session — she had a flight to catch — but she talked to groups of voters throughout her speech.

She first recognized those who have helped the state’s Green Party. She also spoke about two Massachusetts ballot questions, thanking those who have fought against Ballot Question 2, the expansion of charter schools, and in favor of Question 4, the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Then she asked former Bernie Sanders voters to stand, calling them her “new infusion” of supporters. Nearly half the room rose.


“Bernie was a real catalyst for change, and a lot of people feel rightly burned for the fact that he was kind of systemically pushed out,” said Caleb Sweeny, a 30-year-old Stein supporter from Quincy who attended Sunday’s rally. “People are looking for someone who will actually speak up for their beliefs and not talk out of both sides of their mouths.”

Alex Kim, 35, traveled from Manhattan this weekend to see Stein speak in person for the first time. A former Sanders supporter, Kim said she’s still not convinced that Stein is the right candidate.

“I do have a minimum standard for who I could cast a ballot for, and that is I would have to have faith that they could in fact govern the country,” Kim said. “I love Jill’s ideas. I support her positions wholeheartedly. But . . . if she were magically tapped to be president, could she pull that off? I don’t know.”

Felicia Gans can be reached at felicia.gans@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @FeliciaGans.