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Green candidate Hawkins enters the governor's race
David Lombardo is reporting for the Times Union Greene Party candidate Howie Hawkins, of Syracuse, announced April 12, his bid for governor. The Hawkins campaign slogan is "Demand More" and he will be making the case to voters that they should have higher expectations of elected officials. The campaign is calling for a single-payer health care system, 100 percent reliance on clean energy in 15 years, a Green New Deal to boost employment and fully-funded public schools. This is the third time Hawkins has run. A long shot to win, he is hoping his campaign will help build the party's infrastructure and continue to move the state forward on progressive issues. "You don't have to win the office to make a difference, and we've made a difference," said Hawkins, who came in third in 2014 with less than 185,000 votes. Hawkins pointed to the statewide moratorium on fracking, the increase in the minimum wage and the creation of a paid family leave program as initiatives that grew out of the Green Party's agenda. The 65-year old Hawkins is a member of the Teamsters and recently retired from a position unloading trucks for UPS. Read the full story in the Times Union.