Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 6, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader

267-977-0570 and [email protected] 

Green Party Women are Ready to Run

By GPPA Co-chair Colleen Schmotzer

The Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics offers a course with the trademark name “Ready to Run,” for women who are considering a campaign for public office. The day-long program at Chatham University provides training and mentoring by campaign professionals and office holders.

I recently attended a Ready to Run campaign training designed for women. The day was quite informative, and I was pleased to see approximately ten women I knew from the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA). We heard from various guest speakers who detailed the different teams essential for running a successful campaign. It was interesting to learn that the size of the campaign team can vary significantly depending on the specific office being sought, and that sometimes, a modest donation of $50.00 can be enough to win a seat. The organizers provided breakfast, lunch, and a snack, which was greatly appreciated. 

The event concluded with a panel of four accomplished women. Among them was the Chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Party, who emphasized the critical importance of women participating in politics. She shared an anecdote about a friend who successfully won a seat by running as an independent, highlighting that breaking traditional party lines can be a viable strategy.

One of the Green Party members who accompanied me to Ready to Run was Kat Marquez. Here’s what she thought of the training. "As a queer, non-binary person of color, the Democrats and Republicans have never had my interest in mind, and thus I can align with the beliefs of our local Green Party. It is frustrating that; 1. there was no one on the Ready to Run panel who wasn't from the two major parties, and 2. the two major parties aren't telling the full story. The Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC) did have a local candidate run for County Council At-Large during 2025, and one of the major parties challenged our signatures and took us off the ballot. This is exactly what is happening statewide -- this perpetuation of the duopoly that continuously shuts down true democracy of the people." 

When the floor opened for questions, I took the opportunity to ask, "What strategies can third parties, such as the Green Party, employ to effectively challenge the two-party duopoly?"  The Chair's response was direct: "Nothing. It's either you're a Democrat or Republican. That's it. You will never win being a third-party person." I chose to respond by stating assertively, "Watch! I will do it, you will see me there." This declaration was met with applause from the room, after which the question-and-answer session resumed.

Pam Bruno, another one of my Green Party sisters, told me, “After attending the learning seminar hosted by Chatham University, I feel I came out with a useful amount of newfound knowledge. For me, the most important information that could be used to promote the Green Party are the number of elected seats which remain uncontested, along with the small amount of funding it would take to win them. I'm not interested in running for an office, but with what I learned, I am now sure that I could aid in supporting a candidate's campaign.”

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA), https://www.gpofpa.org, is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and X, https://x.com/GreenPartyofPA 

GPPA Co-chair Colleen Schmotzer (she/her) has been working group coordinator on the Green Party of Allegheny Steering Committee. During 2025, she was a GPPA Steering Committee member at large.

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