Jill Stein, a 74-year-old Chicago native and Harvard medicine graduate, advocates for ‘people, planet, and peace’, while actively challenging the two-party system with her campaign. This will be her third time running for President with the Green Party, after the 2012 and 2016 elections. The other half of the ticket is Butch Ware, a professor of History, Black Studies, and Islamic Studies at UC Santa Barbara, who has a long history of activism that challenges genocides and endless war.
Abortion: Regarding this, Stein has said, “A woman’s right to access safe abortion is a non-negotiable human right” and promises to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law. This being said, her stance on limiting abortion due to the duration of gestation and special-case abortions is unclear.
Border Security: On the topic of immigration, Stein emphasizes proactively deterring situations globally to prevent the need for migration, including both ending US wars and fighting climate change. Domestically, she is in favor of abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), replacing it with offices under the Department of Labor to process immigration documentation. The first act of making this process smooth would be granting amnesty to all current undocumented persons in the US.
Climate change: Reallocated funds from foreign policy and the workforce would be directed towards a global ‘Real Green New Deal,’ which is a product of the Green Party’s centerpiece issue, the climate. This plan redefines the goals of the Green New Deal and specifies more effective ways of phasing out old and unclean energy into clean energy.
Crime and guns: Stein aims to end unnecessary gun violence by implementing common sense gun laws. These include banning the sale of assault rifles and creating a buyback program. She is also in support of keeping red flag laws, closing the gun show loophole, and implementing waiting periods and background checks for all future gun purchases.
Economy: Stein would seek to raise taxes for the richest Americans, cut defense spending, and cancel student debt. Stein would strengthen Medicare and Social Security.
Healthcare: Stein has many more big-picture ideas surrounding healthcare, especially with her educational and practical background as a doctor. She is in favor of pardoning all medical debt, and has a plan for a ‘National Improved Medicare for All’ system that her campaign describes as UK-style. This would transform privately owned hospitals, insurance, practices, and other health institutions into publicly owned entities. Similarly she looks to crack down on privately-funded medical research, and open up a system of transparency in the medical field.
Foreign policy: As for foreign policy agenda, Stein focuses on demilitarization and leaning into diplomacy and international law. Her focus would be to end all current wars in order to decrease military spending by 50 to 75 percent.
