Some Republicans are supporting Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s long-shot bid for the presidency, attempting to bolster a campaign that could siphon liberal voters from Vice President Kamala Harris.
[...] Federal Election Commission records show Stein paid $100,000 in July to a consulting outfit that has worked with Republican campaigns, as well as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential bid. The firm, Accelevate, is operated by Trent Pool. The Intercept reported that he appeared to be part of the mob that breached the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
[...] The Green Party is poised to be on the ballot in most battleground states and at times accepted help from Trump-affiliated lawyers to secure ballot access.
Former Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow, who worked on the defense team in one of the former president’s impeachments, was among those representing the Green Party in efforts to get Stein back on the Nevada ballot after she was removed because of incorrect petition forms. The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the Nevada Green Party’s bid to restore Stein to the ballot.
In Wisconsin, Stein was represented by Michael D. Dean, a lawyer who took part in lawsuits that sought to overturn the 2020 election results.
“When you see the information about Republican operatives boosting her candidacy, you can deduce from that very simply that she is very much sponsored and purposefully placed on the ballot to help Donald Trump,” said Joel Payne, spokesman for MoveOn, a progressive political-action committee.
Stein, who used to practice internal medicine, told the Journal she saw no issue joining forces with Republicans if it meant ensuring voters had options in November.
Trump, for his part, has boasted that he stands to benefit from Stein’s campaign. “Jill Stein, I like her very much,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Philadelphia in June. “You know why? She takes 100% from [Democrats].”
[...] When Stein was asked about criticism from Democrats that she was risking another Trump presidency, she was defiant.
“We, the voters, own our votes,” she told the Journal. “Candidates like Kamala Harris have to earn your vote. If they haven’t earned your vote, then that’s on them.”