Madison native and former state Assembly candidate Ben Manski will be in charge of the Green Party’s presidential campaign in 2012.
Manski, who lost to state Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, despite a strong showing in a 2010 Wisconsin State Assembly election, has a long history with the Green Party. He ran as the party’s candidate in the assembly election, was co-chair of the Green Party of the United States and has worked on presidential campaigns before.
“I think there are probably few people in the United States that have had the variety of perspectives that I have been able to pull in through that experience,” Manski, a UW-Madison alumnus, said.
Given his credentials, Manski said the party approached him to run as a presidential candidate. He turned down the offer, saying he would prefer to support Dr. Jill Stein in this election.
“There are times when it is appropriate to step forward as a candidate, and there are times when it is more appropriate to support somebody else,” Manski said.
In a blog posting last Wednesday, Stein, who may be making an appearance in Madison later this week, praised Manski for his experience and broad ideals.
“He is a movement veteran known for his anti-war, labor, environmental, and education advocacy,” Stein said. “He brings the full force of converging social movements into our campaign.”
Manski said that Stein, a physician and activist from Massachusetts, has “united the party in a way that hasn’t been seen in many years.”
“She knows what it takes to run a political campaign,” Manski said. “Personally, she is extremely charismatic and very articulate.”
