"Like New York's Zohran Mamdani, it maintained a relentless focus on the cost of living crisis. In Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, it selected a candidate who radiates authenticity. It paired hopeful, sharp-edged social media with old-fashioned shoe leather, galvanising thousands of activists to knock on doors many for the first time in their lives."
"When I visited, I met lifelong Labour voters many of them older working-class white people regarded as prime Reform recruits defecting to the Greens. But in the final days, the party's grassroots army noticed undecided voters suddenly flooding to their camp. This was a vindication of the unabashedly populist strategy pursued by Zack Polanski since he became leader last September."
The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won decisively in Gorton and Denton, overturning Labour's 13,000-vote majority from 2024. Starting from third place with minimal infrastructure, the Greens executed a focused campaign centered on the cost-of-living crisis. Spencer, a local plumber, embodied authenticity and relatability. The party combined sharp social media strategy with traditional door-to-door canvassing, mobilizing thousands of volunteers, many participating for the first time. The campaign attracted lifelong Labour voters, including older working-class voters previously considered Reform targets. Under leader Zack Polanski's populist approach, the Greens abandoned their previous timid, middle-class image. By election day, grassroots momentum had shifted undecided voters toward the party, fundamentally challenging British political consensus.
#green-party-victory #cost-of-living-crisis #grassroots-campaigning #british-politics #electoral-strategy
Read at www.theguardian.com
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