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The U.S.\u2019 two-party system has a third challenger \u2014 the Green Party\u2019s presidential candidate Jill Stein. Although the Green Party is unlikely to win the election, the support of Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for Israel\u2019s war on Gaza has given Ms. Stein\u2019s campaign some unexpected momentum in the race to the White House.<\/p>\n

This is Ms. Stein\u2019s third attempt in a U.S. presidential race \u2014 she previously contested the elections in 2012 and 2016, where she polled 0.36% and 1.07% of popular votes, respectively. <\/p>\n

Ecology is one of the four pillars of the Green Party\u2019s core politics, and Ms. Stein has had a long association with environmental conservation and health. As a Harvard-graduated physician, Ms. Stein first focused on environmental degradation and its impact on human health in the 1990s. She led the agitation to clean up the \u2018Filthy Five\u2019 coal plants in Massachusetts \u2014 Salem Harbor, Brayton Point, Mount Tom, Canal Station, and Mystic Generating Station \u2014 which were emitting more pollution than the levels permitted under the Clean Air Act, 1990. <\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s war on Gaza has emerged as an important issue in the presidential race, and Ms. Stein has openly advocated putting an end to her country\u2019s supply of arms to Israel. Her anti-war stance opposes that of the Democratic candidate Ms. Harris, who is currently the Vice President of the administration that continues to supply arms to Israel, and former President Trump, who has called himself \u2018a protector of Israel\u2019. <\/p>\n

Ms. Stein has publicly referred to Israel\u2019s war on Gaza as a \u201cgenocide\u201d, and recently said the pager attack in Lebanon was an act of \u201cterrorism\u201d. In a statement issued alongside her running mate Butch Ware, Ms. Stein included U.S. leaders Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, and Dick Cheney in a list of \u201cwar criminals\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe condemn Benjamin Netanyahu in the strongest terms for his ongoing atrocities in Gaza, which amount to genocide and war crimes,\u201d the statement said. <\/p>\n

Ms. Stein\u2019s campaign also promises to abolish all student debt, provide lifelong free public education, increase public school funding, increase estate tax, increase minimum wage, codify Roe v. Wade, work towards a democratically controlled healthcare by replacing private hospitals, private medical practice, and private medical insurance, and more. <\/p>\n

Green New Deal <\/p>\n

The Green Party\u2019s Real Green New Deal is an important part of Ms. Stein\u2019s presidential campaign to fulfil its goals of combating climate change. A \u2018Green New Deal\u2019 has gained popularity in the last decade, but it is non-binding and does not call for a ban on fracking. The updated version promotes ecological sustainability with clean energy, zero greenhouse gas emissions, and economic security for all. <\/p>\n

The Green New Deal was also an important part of Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s campaign, who recently entered a publicised altercation with Ms. Stein. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez blamed the Green Party candidate for not being \u201cserious\u201d and called her \u201cpredatory\u201d. \u201cClearly, AOC is the attack dog du jour and the Democrats are running scared. And they should be, because who wants to support a genocide? Who wants to vote for a genocide?\u201d Ms. Stein said in response. <\/p>\n

Although the 2024 presidential election, like most elections in the country, is largely a contest between the Republicans and Democrats, Ms. Stein\u2019s anti-war stance appears to be making a dent in Ms. Harris\u2019s vote share in some States. The results of a nationwide poll of American Muslim voter preferences, conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, showed that 29.4% of American Muslims plan to vote for Ms. Harris, 29.1% for Ms. Stein, and 11.2% for Mr. Trump. <\/p>\n

Ms. Stein is also leading Harris among Muslim voters in swing States Arizona (35%) Michigan (40%) and Wisconsin (44%). These States are expected to play a key role in deciding the next U.S. President.<\/p>\n