As the race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump reached fever pitch this week, the Green Party hosted a rally in New York City. While there, TheStreet caught up with vice-presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka to discuss his thoughts on what has become an increasingly ugly election. "The American people have said on more than one occasion that they have been very disappointed with the level of discourse, with that fact that, for the mainstream candidates, they seem not to be able to get to the real issues," he said in an interview with TheStreet banking reporter Valerie Young. "All the personal fighting and bickering has really done a disservice to this race." Baraka and the woman at the top of the Green Party ticket, Jill Stein, rallied with supporters at the Hostos Community College Arts Center in the Bronx Wednesday evening. About 200 people were in attendance. The long-shot ticket currently boasts 2.1% support nationally, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls. Baraka said the pair is focused on reaching 5% of the vote in the election, which would render the Green Party eligible for public funding in the next election cycle. "Here in this country, they make it very difficult for alternative parties to run," he said. The Green Party ticket, much in the same vein of Bernie Sanders, takes an oppository stance to Wall Street and the finance industry. Baraka expanded on their take. "We have to communicate to folks on Wall Street that the free ride may be over," he said. "We're going to be more concerned with trying to enact policies that help to prop up small business. We believe that there is an ongoing issue and contradiction between some of the interests of the financial sector and large transnational corporations and the interests of the American people."

This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.