Most of the attention has been on President Trump’s re-election campaign and the Democratic primary, but third parties are also getting ready for 2020. Howie Hawkins is the co-founder of the U.S. Green Party. He has unsuccessfully run for governor of New York three times and U.S. Senate once. In 2016, Hawkins was the Green Party’s candidate for vice president and he is now the party’s candidate for president. On a visit to Plattsburgh, Hawkins told WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley he was drafted by Greens across the country to run.

“Well I have a lot of respect for the people that asked me and looked around and didn't see other Green candidates capable of pulling off a national campaign. None of them have even run a statewide campaign. And so the Greens need a candidate and so it seemed to fall in my lap.”

Pat Bradley: “Any party that's not Republican or Democratic, tends to be referred to as a third party. Do you see anything changing for third party and third party candidates in the U.S.?”

Howie Hawkins: “Well, the goal we have in the Green Party and in my campaign is to appeal to those people who are voting in low numbers, working class people, people of color, young people. And those people people think they're apathetic. I've done so much door knocking. These people are alienated. They're not apathetic.”

You can hear the full interview with Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins on the WAMC News Podcast.