What Does Omar López Represent?
Omar López is the Green Party candidate for Congress in the 4th Congressional District of Illinois.
López is running against incumbent Democratic Party candidate Luis Gutierrez and Republican Party candidate Daniel Cunningham, who does not yet appear to have a campaign website.
The 4th Congressional District of Illinois is located in Cook County and includes parts of Chicago as well as several other municipalities. The district is 74.5% Hispanic and split into two sections, connected by a piece of I-294.
López was recently invited to give a keynote speech at the Green Party National Convention, which was held in Chicago in 2008. Posted in two parts below is video coverage of his complete speech, in which he makes reference to Chicago politics and the role of the parties in the Hispanic community.
It is my opinion that candidates like López represent a new breed of Green Party member--a new wave of Greens reaching out more strongly than ever to minority communities. López is one significant local representation of a larger movement within the Green Party of the United States, which also includes figures such as Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente, George Martin, Malik Rahim, Aaron Dixon, and many others.
*** UPDATE *** I wasn't aware of it when I published this post; but the Chicago Reader actually did a big feature story on Omar López and the "Browning of the Greens" only a few days ago. Take a look.
