Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney won 79% of the vote in the Wisconsin Green Party’s Presidential Preference Primary. The Primary, conducted by mail among dues paying members of the party, ran from April 28 through March 27. Kent Mesplay, who campaigned in Wisconsin in November of 2007, won 10%. Ralph Nader received 5% through write-in votes, followed by Kat Swift 2%, Uncommitted 2%, and Jesse Johnson 1%.

Wisconsin sends 24 delegates to the GPUS Nominating Convention in July, which will be held on the 40th anniversary of the 1968 Chicago riots at the Democratic National Convention. Of these delegates, 19 will be voting for Cynthia McKinney, 2 for Kent Mesplay, 1 for Kat Swift, 1 for Uncommitted, and 1 for Ralph Nader. Wisconsin is tied for the seventh largest delegate contingent among the 50 states (the top states are California 168, Illinois & Maine 44 each, New York 40, Massachusetts & Pennsylvania 32 each, Wisconsin, Michigan & Oregon 24 each.)

The raw vote totals from Wisconsin are: 97 ballots counted, 77 votes for McKinney, 10 for Mesplay, 5 for Nader, 2 for Swift, 2 for Uncommitted, 1 for Johnson.

Counting only the five primary states (AR, CA, DC, IL, MA) plus Wisconsin so far, an estimate of delegate strength right now for the Green Party nomination would be:

* Ralph Nader 118 * Cynthia McKinney 110 * Kent Mesplay 11 * Howie Hawkins (Nader stand-in) 9 * Jared Ball (dropped out of the race) 8 * Elaine Brown (dropped out of the race) 8 * Kat Swift 7 * Jesse Johnson 3

Uncommitted = 13, Undetermined = 5.

Other state parties will be determining their delegate proportions over the next 6 weeks, and some are already in the process of caucusing or returning mailed ballots. The fact that Ralph Nader is not seeking the Green Party’s nomination has not resolved the question over the delegates he may have received so far to date. From what I have heard about the debates among the GPUS National Committee and the Presidential Campaign Support Committee (whose co-chair is a Nader Supporter), the effort within the Green Party to Draft Nader (whether he wants it or not) has not yet died.

I’m happy to report that I will be a delegate from Wisconsin to the Green Party National Convention in July!