Far from serving as Jill Stein’s secret hideout while she prepares for a 2028 presidential campaign, the U.S. Green Party is fielding and supporting candidates for federal, state and local offices across the United States this election cycle, with campaigns ranging from governor and Congress to city councils, school boards and local districts.

According to the Green Party of the United States’ 2026 candidate listings, Green candidates and party-supported independents are competing in at least 17 states and the District of Columbia. The party has also reported more than 200 candidates running nationwide, reflecting its efforts to build an electoral presence at nearly every level of government.

In Arizona, Gary Swing is running as a write-in candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 6th Congressional District. In neighboring California, the Greens have one of their most extensive slates, led by Rudolph “Butch” Ware for governor, Michael Feinstein for secretary of state and Marjorie Mikels for attorney general. Mark Rendon is running for State Assembly District 14, while Victor Hernandez is seeking the District 59 seat. Their campaigns are part of a broader California Green slate contesting legislative and local offices across the state.

California’s Green candidates are also competing in a wide range of local races. Ofelia Bello is running for East Palo Alto City Council, Daniel Hor for Dublin City Council, Jason Kishineff for American Canyon City Council, Mathew Lopez for Healdsburg City Council, Dina Ramaha-Pino for South Lake Tahoe City Council, Richard Rosin for Ventura City Council and Alexandra “Xy” VanAntwerp for Carpinteria City Council. School board candidates include Chloe Aftel in Orinda, Brian Donahue in Emery, Paul Healy in Dehesa and Zachary Saltzberg in Gravenstein. The party’s California election listing also identifies Ivan DelSol, Zacarias Flores, Daniel Kramer and Catherine Munsee for community services district boards; Craig Benson and Jane Madsen for the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation Board; Christopher Hawkins for the Truckee Donner Public Utility District Board; Kimberly Martin for the Florin Resource Conservation District Board; Ashley Moore for the Salida Sanitary District Board; Mark Alan Negrete for the Burbank Sanitary District Board; and Robert “Bob” Wichert for the Sacramento Suburban Water District Board.

Across the country, Robert Gross is running for mayor of Washington, D.C., while in Florida, Alicia Kirk Toler is seeking a seat on the Plant City Commission in Group 3. In Hawaiʻi, Pāʻele Kiakona is running for the state House of Representatives in District 14. The party also has a gubernatorial candidate in the Midwest, with Griselda Romero running for governor of Illinois, while Marshall Travis is seeking a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives in District 48.

In Maryland, the Greens are backing a statewide ticket of Andy Ellis for governor and Owen Silverman Andrews for lieutenant governor, alongside Sam Husseini, who is running for Congress in the state’s 4th Congressional District. In Michigan, the party has three congressional candidates: LaVeta Davenport in the 1st District, Charlotte Magoon in the 2nd and Joe Jock in the 3rd. Jett Newton is also running for the Michigan House of Representatives in District 38.

In Minnesota, the Green Party endorsed Steven Young for governor and Jane Kirby for lieutenant governor, along with Seth Kuhl-Stennes for secretary of state and Ngone Niang for the state Senate in District 39. Farther south, North Carolina has two U.S. Senate candidates featured in the party’s archive, Michael Dublin and Brian McGinnis, as well as Anthony Aguilar, who is running for the U.S. House in the 13th Congressional District. In Oklahoma, Robert O. Smith is running for the U.S. Senate.

The Greens are also contesting several major races in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast. In Oregon, Brett Smith is running for governor, Clay Bearnson for the state Senate and Justin Filip for Congress in the 4th Congressional District. In Pennsylvania, Tony Dastra and Craig Bolton are running for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. In Tennessee, independent gubernatorial candidate Dave Seeman has received Green Party endorsement, illustrating the party’s willingness to support candidates outside its own ballot line.

In Texas, Kevin McCormick is running for lieutenant governor, Shehla Faizi for comptroller of public accounts, Arshia Papari for the state House of Representatives in District 49 and Greg Stoker for the U.S. House of Representatives. In West Virginia, Paige Reiring is running for the House of Delegates in District 79, while Chase Linko-Looper is seeking the office of Kanawha County magistrate. Rounding out these listings, Wisconsin Green Pete Karas is running for secretary of state.

Taken together, the campaigns do illustrate that despite being Green Party being outshone by the Democratic Socialists of America on the left, the party’s continued effort to establish a foothold in American electoral politics beyond the presidential ballot continues, perhaps actively aware of the internet joke that their sole job is to siphon votes from Democrats every four years. While statewide and congressional campaigns give the party a platform on larger political issues, its candidates for municipal offices, school boards and special districts are competing for positions that directly shape local governance, as the party has done since the days of Ralph Nader. The party’s 2026 campaigns do also extend beyond the candidates highlighted here, with Greens reporting participation in races across 27 states.