In order to get a reality check on the political environment in the U.S., I sent a short survey to the members of various circles I participate in. Almost all are in West Coast states, especially CA. The survey is not at all “scientific.” In these lists of results, I have tried to remove words that might identify the person, and I have labeled each according to the circle I know them from: POLITICAL CIRCLE, NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE, and SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE. Individuals within each circle might be more or less politically engaged.

The three questions were:

(1) Who did you vote for, for President on November 5?

(2) Can you please, in a few words or one or two sentences, say why you voted for them?

(3) If you did or did not vote for Jill Stein, can you tell me why, in a few words or one or two sentences? 

The results of the 53 responses I received are below, in order of Stein/Green, Harris/Democratic, Peace and Freedom/PSL, and Other. To make the order somewhat random, within those groups they are in alphabetical order according to the answer to (2).

Your comments and analyses are welcome at the bottom of the blog!

STEIN / GREEN

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2)
(3)

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Jill Stein.
(2)
(3)

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2) Because [friends] wanted me to. And because you probably wanted me to. Really. My own very strong preference would have been to write in Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi (corrected: changed Xi Jinping to Wang Yi). But, I’ve learned not to trust my own judgement about these things.
(3) (See answer to #2) But, if I had voted the way I wanted (Sergei-Xi), it would have been because if there’s anything to be done within the electoral system, it’s probably most important to demonstrate its illegitimacy. I think this can be done by boycotting any real electoral run, including third parties. Also, I think the one thing Americans must learn is that the demonization narrative they’ve been taught is not just wrong, but is a rough approximation of a mirror image of the world. Alas, the Greens don’t do that. They didn’t do that with Hawkins, for sure, and Jill doesn’t do that. (Not her fault. She’s appealing to Americans.) Even lefties don’t get it, they don’t get China, Russia, Iran, the axis of resistance. Some do, some don’t. Jill doesn’t help, with her offhand and indirect endorsements of the demon narratives about Russia, the DPRK and their leaders. She simply adds the US to a rogue’s gallery. Not enough, when it’s the Global South and East that are doing the real work of containing the empire. And if it’s sufficiently contained, it will give us a small shot, very small, at addressing the climate catastrophe globally, under the obvious and inevitable leadership of China. Sorry, too long. But carry on. Remember, I don’t trust my own opinions.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill stein!!
(2) Because I don’t f*** with fear-based voting for the least of two bad options!! I don’t trust the two party system or democrats (although I might probably prefer them in office to a republican),and I knew my state would go democrat, and also I wanted to vote for someone with values I actually trust.
(3) I think I already summed it up… but happy to say more

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Jill Stein
(2) because of her overall program, especially her opposition to the proxy war in Ukraine and genocide in Gaza.
(3)

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Stein.
(2) Best overall program and Harris/Biden had massive Palestinian blood on their hands, horrible stuff.
(3) Jill S. had mostly very good policy positions, the exception in my opinion was her view on Ukraine war. I view it as a national liberation struggle against Russian imperialism, so think we on the left we should support Ukraine, Jill doesn’t (Howie H. agrees with me).

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2) Dems did not differentiate themselves, ignored Gaza and other US warmongering. Trump-even less of a no brainer as to voting.
(3) Above plus we needed a Doctor in the House (White House) to heal this country of its mental and physical health problems.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2) For her clear pro-peace & justice stand, opposition to oligarchs.:
(3) N.A. My Question: 7.5 million voters for voted for Biden in 2020, dropped out, rather than vote for the Left candidates for President. Why did not vote for Green or PSL candidate?

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2) I couldn’t in all good conscience vote for any candidate that was complicit in or supported genocide. Not only was Jill passionately against the genocide (that was only applied to Palestinians at the time … now Lebanese and soon to be Syrians), she was outspoken and articulate about it and walked her talk over it. Her positions on foreign policy were spot on (except for Syria) and addressed the U.S. imperialist project. She also artfully weaved it into her other platform positions. And among the other independent or third-party candidates for President she was the only one who I considered “presidential material” as based on her background. her actions, and her skills.
(3)

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Jill Stein
(2) I felt that they were the best candidate.
(3) After speaking with you, I felt she was the best candidate. And due to the electoral college, a vote for Stein would be another vote that would go to Kamala Harris, to beat Donald Trump.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Jill Stein.
(2) I thought a large vote for an anti-system candidate would be a more powerful statement than abstention. Obviously most people thought otherwise.
(3) Unfortunately there is a contradiction between denouncing the corrupt, rigged electoral system and participating in that same system as a candidate and asking people to participate in it as voters. I didn’t follow any of the campaigns, but I think none of the anti system candidates succeeded in bridging that contradiction. Maybe Butch can address that issue in his talk.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Stein
(2) I voted for Jill Stein, and was gratified to see that she had the courage to run to end the genocide.
(3) I have voted Green for many years, with the exception of when Sanders ran in 2016, as I support the Green platform and values.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Jill Stein
(2) I was going to vote for Cornel West as I think he’s a better speaker and more appealing than Jill Stein, and with a much better hairdo, but his campaign fizzled so much it only made sense in the end for me to try to help the Greens get a higher percentage for future ballots
(3)

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Jill Stein.
(2) It was purely a protest vote. I lost hope in the Green Party years ago. In my view, it has failed to develop and mature. It is now thoroughly marginalized. I had great hopes when I joined the California Green Party even before it was officially founded. Those hopes went way beyond it being a marginalized party for which I could cast protest votes. I was an advocate of strategic voting in the election. I cast my protest vote because I vote in California. If I was registered to vote in a swing state, I would have voted for Harris, despite my strong opposition to her and the Democrats.
(3) It came down to a choice for me between Stein and Claudia De la Cruz. Stein is very good woman, with good politics, but zero charisma and poor political instincts. I know much less about De la Cruz. On the plus side, De la Cruz is an articulate leftist Latina leader, but she is a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a Marxist-Leninist party I have long had serious disagreements with. Ultimately, I chose Stein as the recipient of my protest vote. I might have voted for Cornel West had he been on the California ballot. I have a lot of love for West, though I have no idea what his candidacy accomplished. Finally, let me share that I think that public protest, including nonviolent direct action, are essential in stopping the full implementation of fascism. We have a limited window of opportunity to defend our rights to protest and dissent. If we fail, and the fascist program that Trump is backing is fully implemented and codified into law, we are pretty much done for. Fascist systems are not overthrown by domestic opposition, because fascist regimes repress dissent and demand conformity in all kinds of ways, including intimidation, the use of fascist thugs, and violent state repression using deadly force. There is a national protest called for January 18, “The People’s Mach on Washington,” which I strongly support. I hope that it leads to a strong and creative protest movement. I think it is our only hope. I wish you strength and courage in these hard times.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein for president
(2) Mostly because of her active condemnation of the Gaza genocide. Also, in opposition to the capitalist Duopoly political system.
(3) I strongly oppose her condemnation of Assad and Putin as war criminals towards the end of her campaign.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2) Position on Israel-Gaza/Palestine
(3) Do not take corporate money/position on unhappy health of planet

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2) Protest to the 2 party system.
(3) More aligned with my values

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Green, Stein and Ware
(2) Shared values and I’m in CA after all!
(3) They have an excellent platform. Comprehensive, full of the social, political values we absolutely need.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Jill Stein
(2) She best reflected my values of all the candidates who were running.
(3)

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Jill Stein.
(2) She was the only candidate who was not bought out by big corporations, and was the only candidate that stood for everything I believed in and agreed with.
(3) See answer to # 2.

HARRIS / DEMOCRATIC

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Harris
(2)
(3) Answering no. 3 – I don’t trust her. I didn’t trust the others either.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted “Harris” … although my vote was really “anti-Trump.” I came to the realization that the absolute worse thing that could happen to the US and the world was a Trump re-do.
(2) Although Biden’s first 2 years produced many progressive advances, I hated his “genocide supportive actions” and did all I could to voice the need for drastic change. I was willing to grant Harris some slack in that as VP, she could not voice a difference with the standing president, but believed that her policy would be different if elected.
(3) While I resonated with Stein’s campaign proposals, I feel that the Left has not been able to build a sufficient foundation among regular voters to achieve the support for an independent politician to make a difference. After so many years of trying and after analysis of the character of typical US voters, I am unconvinced that the mass support which is needed for a viable progressive party is even possible.
Even so, I will never be a registered Demo Party member.
INTRO before answers (1) to (3)
I willingly share my responses to your survey although I doubt that my actions will add much to your described objectives. I add that I have been a registered P&F member since its founding and devoted several years with NCIPA (National Committee for Independent Political Action, and subsequently with IPPN (Independent Progressive Political Network), attempting to cultivate a broad foundation for a progressive third party.
I have had to concede that — while there will always be a need for pressure and progressive critiques of major parties and their political directions — the likelihood of a mass independent progressive party does not appear to exist.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Kamala Harris
(2) Because I absolutely did not want Donald Trump to win. She was also a relief after a faltering Joe Biden.
(3) I don’t know her and I didn’t think she had a chance and I absolutely did not want Donald Trump to win.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Kamala
(2) because I thought it was the most likely way to stop the republican candidate from winning.
(3) Jill Stein was not as well known as Kamala and didn’t have the traction (and publicity) that would put her in the “front runner” category that Kamala was in. I am open to having a discussion with you if you find “holes” in my way of thinking (but not if you find holes in my head! : )

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Kamala
(2) because I thought it would have more impact to stop Trump from coming to power again. I was not happy with her foreign policy at all and was reluctant to vote for her.
(3) I didn’t vote for a 3rd party candidate because I thought it wouldn’t have impact on the outcome of the election. Some people I respect were advising not to vote for 3rd party candidates this time. I didn’t like how many people were so angry when I voted for Nader back whenever that was. Seems like it would be good to have a third party candidate who is charismatic and outspoken who people would vote for because of what they stand for and say. I didn’t ever hear what Jill Stein had to say. Didn’t see that information on any media that I read or listen to.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Kamala Harris
(2) because I wanted her to win.
(3) I didn’t vote for Jill Stein because mostly I am not a one issue voter so the war in Palestine didn’t determine my vote. I didn’t support Stein’s candidacy in this race because one candidate was so unacceptable I wanted support for his opponent to be strong. Even in California. We sure didn’t get that.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) voted for Kamala
(2) felt she was the best choice even tho i’m personally not crazy about her
(3) didn’t vote for Jill Stein altho I like to support the notion of third party and like her, because, even tho California would go democratic without my vote, i hate Trump so much that I felt I had to be part of the anti trump showing in numbers.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Kamala Harris. I hate the Democratic Party’s deception in protecting Biden and in selecting Harris without a nominating convention (pitiful as those are) thereby turning an election into a mere ratification. I’ve not considered myself a member of the Democratic Party for decades now (no recent contributions, etc.) but …
(2) Harris seemed the only viable alternative to fight Trump/Fascism. I had zip illusions as to her being the true progressive leader that I would choose to vote for (witness the national insult to her voters by not even addressing, much less “leading” us through, our national grief these last few months – even as VP!!). She is the standard party hack. But I felt our institutions would hold up better under her and fewer people would be hurt or killed than under Trump…while we continued to try to effect change.
(3) Didn’t vote for Jill Stein b/c of #2 above (i.e. would not have been a strategic vote under current circumstances)………. I realize in California, I probably could’ve voted for Jill Stein without affecting outcome, but I felt I needed to contribute to a possible decisive victory. I’m unaware of Jill Stein’s presence or work in politics except for her name appearing on the ballot every four years. I felt voting for her might at best result in a small gain whereas voting for Harris might prevent a huge loss.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Harris
(2) I am a Democrat and voted for Kamala.
(3) Jill S doesn’t really campaign for President, probably because she does not get well funded.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Kamala Harris
(2) I believed in her. I agreed with most of her policy pledges—notably her support of working and middle classes in many ways; tax increases on corporations and the very wealthy; climate concerns, etc.
She was the only candidate who had a chance of beating Trump.
(3) She had no chance of beating Trump. Also, I’ve read on several sources that she has mutual funds investments that include fossil fuels and other non-environmentally friendly concerns.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Harris
(2) I believed she had the best chance to beat Trump. Underestimated the ignorance/stupidity of voters and corruption of the system.
(3) Stein had no chance and the real unstated issue is systemic change. I still wish the Green Party would adopt that.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Kamala Harris.
(2) I didn’t vote for Jill Stein because I was scared of trump, I knew at the time it didn’t really make sense because we are in California but I still did it.
(3) I wish I had voted for Jill Stein. Not really because of her leadership which I don’t know enough about but because I would have rather voted for the Green Party than the dems!

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Voted for Kamala Harris
(2) I felt Kamala was the best candidate.
(3) I didn’t know much about Jill Stein; didn’t feel her policies were realistic; she had no chance of winning.

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Kamala
(2) I like her policies and was hoping she would reverse on Gaza. Since she worked for Biden she was not at liberty to reveal her stance on Gaza. She was likely to support unions and protect union pensions
(3) I would have voted for Jill Stein as a second choice if I figured out how to do that in time. Being President involves negotiating across the table and I don’t believe she could make the necessary connections, so wouldn’t be my first choice. I don’t see the point in voting for Jill Stein. Apparently the revolution isn’t going to happen through electoral politics. Her chances were slim. Green Party USA is mainly intellectuals. I don’t see much mobilization of blue collar workers, and they have their vote (if rural) weighted more heavily.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) With much ambivalence I voted for Harris.
(2) I think it was important to prioritize defeating Trump. Although whichever party wins, the person elected becomes the President of US Imperialism, sometimes there is a difference. I believe the 2024 election is one of those times. And even though it was a forgone conclusion that Harris would win California’s electoral college votes, I came down on the side of wanting her popular vote to be as large as possible. I’m still not sure that I was right about that.
(3) For the reasons above, I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Stein as a protest vote this time. I do see the value of protest votes sometimes, of course. And given the Democrats’ tremendous loss among the working class (tremendous in terms of its political consequences, not in terms of numbers of votes, which were actually quite close, it was that the number of people who didn’t vote hugely surpassed 2020), I think 2028 calls for us to work for a “third party” anti-imperialist candidate, if for no other reason than to try to force the Democrats to the left.
I hope that’s clear. Looking forward to learning what you conclude from your survey.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Harris
(2) I voted for the Democratic ticket, as I have since I was 21 and plan to continue to do, unless they also get some very crazy candidate ala DT
I remember some elections in which a third party with a more liberal and idealistic candidate likely received votes that might have gone to the Democratic candidate and with such split votes, the Republican won.
(3) Although our 2024 Democratic campaigns and ticket had flaws, I certainly much preferred them to the destructive policies of DT and MAGA chronies.
It would be great and our best choice, for now, if the Democratic candidates could acknowledge, include and support the complementary issues of strong candidates such as Jill, such that Jill and her people would feel heard and publicly support the Democratic candidate and encourage their supporters to also do so. While the then Democratic elected candidate would not be able to solely focus on issues such as Jill’s, they would certainly acknowledge and support them more strongly than the Republican opposition.
INTRO before answers (1) to (3)
First, I want to say that I admire you supporting and working so actively for values you hold strongly and dear. We share those values.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Harris.
(2) I was actually excited about her, when suddenly she was in the race. Even though she is very flawed, I really wanted to vote for a well-qualified woman of color to be President, I’m jealous of Mexico! I knew that even though we are in CA, that every vote needed to count. And she at least could be lobbied, even if her foreign policy mimics Biden’s and I’ve been very disturbed by her actions on Gaza (like not having. a Palestinian speak at the Dem Convention and not calling for no weapons to Israel). But it just would have been a paradigm shift – which I’m very very ready for..
(3) I’m not that crazy about Jill Stein. I use the Green Party voter guide and vote for many of the candidates and Propositions endorsed by the Green Party. I do think that building the Green Party from the bottom up is very important.

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Harris, as you know.
(2) I’ve always voted Democratic, believing that its New Deal and civil rights/ Great Society legacies must continually be reactivated, often through struggles within.
(3) I voted to help maximize Harris’s National numbers against Trump.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Harris
(2) Not with much enthusiasm; it was a vote against Trump. The DNC moved steadily into the right, or at least was continuously more open about being right-center-right. Hardest to deal with was the support of Israeli genocide.
(3) Did not; while I agree with most of her positions, to the extent that I know what they are, she had no chance of winning whereas the Harris-Trump race was tight. Also, the time to vote for positions is not when you cast your ballot for president; it’s during the whole four years between elections, when opinions get shaken out and turned into legislation, or not. Although I think a lot of people who voted for Trump were voting for his positions — voting to say “I agree with that guy.” I’m interested in what other responses you get to this survey — thanks for doing it.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Kamala Harris
(2) Seemed to be a lot more trustworthy. Trump seems way to radical, also a convicted Felon who apparently doesn’t believe in the rule of law. He presented himself like he wanted to become a dictator which is not what we have nor want in this country.
(3) Never heard one word about her.

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Voted for Kamala
(2) She appeared to understand that the opponent has no credibility & is dangerous.
(3) As for your Green candidate, although I like the Greens( I voted for you every time you’re on a ballot).
Election 2016, I listened to her but she doesn’t impress me. I think it was the public channel, I tuned in & she had her “VP” sitting with her; a black guy, don’t remember his name. It shocked me that at the beginning of the interview they brutally attacked Hillary Clinton. It was how they presented, First thing! No introductory statements about the agenda of Green Party; nothing! This was how they represented the Green Party like attack dogs. Totally turned me off.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Kamala
(2) She understands that you have to work with people with different perspectives to get things done. She believes in the rule of law, our constitution, and our democracy. She is versed in the law.
(3) Jill Stein is a sideline candidate who can speak about ideals, knowing her viewpoint and approach is not how things get done. Being a purist is fine in theory. Discussing ideals is worthy. Demeaning everyone else who does not embrace your viewpoint does not move the country forward.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Kamala Harris
(2) She was an excellent candidate.
(3) I know nothing about her except that a vote for her would have been a vote for Trump.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Kamala
(2) to beat Trump.
(3) It’s an unfortunate fact of our two-party system that Ms Stein never had a chance. How would you feel if she got 5 million votes, all from Kamala’s voters? Yay, awesome statement, but that’s Trump’s margin. I don’t remember, but you might – how much effect did Nader have on the Bush/Gore election? I’d love to see the greens pick up influence in local elections. Probably could happen for nonpartisan positions and ranked choice options.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Kamala
(2) Why? Anything to defeat Trump
(3) Nothing against Jill Stein. But if the Dems had won on November 5 they would have pushed forward a reasonable if tepid response to Climate Change. I do believe Climate Change is in fact the most important issue of our time.

PEACE AND FREEDOM/PARTY FOR SOCIALISM & LIBERATION

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) PFP
(2) I am on the State Central Committee of the PFP
(3) If I was not with the PFP, I would have voted Green.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) the PSL candidate, Claudia de la Cruz
(2) The way the electoral system works, CA was going for Harris, so I was free to vote for who I wanted, even tho they couldn’t win.
(3) PSL and the Peace and Freedom Party are socialist parties. Jill Stein and the Greens are not.

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) We’ve (me and wife) voted for Claudia de la Cruz in the elections. We had just returned after 4 months being out of the country and since, by principle, we try not to vote for bourgeois parties… the working class alternative as the “protest vote” became the choice. We had not followed closely the discussions on the “left” prior to the election. Since we had been members and voted for PFP before, we went that route.
(2) Their platform also represented the issues the left and the working class raised for some time. They openly declared they were socialists, and were planning a socialist future.
(3) We could have. Since “the left” in the US is not marked with heavy-dark lines, and policies “similar,” yes, we could have voted for Jill Stein, however, an open, honest, and genuine socialist and working-class politics and ideology would be more persuasive.

OTHER: BIDEN, KENNEDY, NEITHER, TRUMP, UNCOMMITTED

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Biden
(2) There was no sane alternative
(3)

POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) I voted for Kennedy.
(2) I followed him early on, thinking he could break the duopoly. But then he pulled a fast one, and I interpreted it as a strategy to mess up the election. But also, I liked the guy. I wasn’t going to allow his misunderstanding of Israel to be make-or-break.
(3) The few times I listened to her, I got the feeling she was an academic and not a politician.

SEMI-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Neither
(2) I was sure California would go democratic regardless of my vote.
(3) I don’t believe that there’s any chance of having a democratically elected president that does not come from either the republican or democratic parties

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Trump
(2) He is like an athlete who starts out last at the beginning, but before the race is over he passes everyone in front of him and finishes first at the tape. He has done that twice.
(3) I like Jill Stein, but the Green philosophy is destructive. Look at what the Greens have done to Europe. We all want a better, healthier environment, I am an environmentalist, but the environment cannot be improved simply by legislating that it be improved, as in Europe. The environmental problem can only be solved, if at all, when improved technology comes along.

NON-POLITICAL CIRCLE
(1) Uncommitted
(2) Because I could not vote for someone who seemed heartless in regard to the Palestinians. And I am SICK of politicians and their insincerity/hypocrisy! This did my heart good: Jon Stewart & Bernie Sanders on Rebuilding Trust & Efficacy in the Government | The Weekly Show
(3) With Trump running, I was really pissed that Jill Stein insisted on running in the battleground states! When only thousands of votes separated Biden from Trump in 2020, I felt she was more interested in an ideology than in the fate of this country. Trump will hurt so many people! I hate the Democrats (except for a few) and airhead Kamala (the woman had no SUBSTANCE to her in the campaign]. She looked like she was running for cheerleader! Joy…..in the face of Gaza! WTF. The Dems foisted her on us without giving the party any choice ….not even a debate. I could go on for hours. Thanks for asking. I know we will disagree, but I believe our hearts are close. Right now I am enraged at that dumb old fart Biden. I’ve never liked him and his hawkish, sexist self. His stupid male ego brought us Trump too. I’d be happy to have a conversation about my reply with your and/or others.

YOUR COMMENTS AND ANALYSES ARE WELCOME!