The Grassroots Party of Minnesota was created in the 1980s to oppose drug prohibition. The party shared the political leftist values of the Greens but with a greather emphasis on marijuana/hemp legalization issues.

1996 Election

Candidate

The Grassroots Party fielded Dennis Peron , their first Presidential nominee, in 1996 (5,400 votes).

Vermont

Although they failed, the GRP won permanent "major party" ballot status in Vermont. The Vermont affiliate was initially more libertarian and "states rights" oriented in philosophy than its leftist sister party in Minnesota.

Party Switching

During this time, many members of the Minnesota chapter moved into the local Green Party. Despite this, the party continued with its agenda.

2000 Election

A New Candidate

In the 2000, the party nominated Denny Lane as their presidential candidate. Lane came from the more liberal-libertarian wing of the party.

The Ballot

Unfortunately for them, they were on the ballot in only one state and only recived 1,044 votes (12th place - 0.001%). Even with about a 4,500 difference, the party still tried to push ahead. This time they were less successful.

Loss and Survival

Because of continuous party switching, The Grassroots Party of Minnesota became defunct by 2002. They are now known as the Liberal Party of Minnesota . However, The Grassroots Party of Vermont is still around, and retains its leftist status, even after many of its libertarian leaning members moved to the Vermont Libertarian Party. No other chapters of the Grassroots Party exist.

External Links

• [1] - the Liberal Party of Minnesota homepage
• [2] - The Vermont Grassroots Party homepage
• [3] The Libertarian Party homepage