Steven Welzer

Steven Welzer was born in Newark, New Jersey. He earned a high school diploma from Columbia High School, a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in 1976, and a graduate degree from Rutgers University in 1983. His career experience includes working as a journalist. As of 2024, Welzer was affiliated with Green Horizon Magazine.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Steve Welzer has been a Green movement activist for over thirty years. He was a founding member of the Green Party of New Jersey in 1997 and he served on the Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States in 2012. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Steve holds a master’s degree in Economics from Rutgers University. He was a co-editor of the print version of Green Horizon Magazine and now serves on the editorial board of the follow-up webzine called New Green Horizons. As a side gig Steve is actively working to establish an ecovillage in Kimberton, PA. He lives in East Windsor along with his wife, Laura, and daughter, Nicole.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The American electorate deserves "more voices and more choices" in order to enjoy a full multi-party democracy. Toward that end, electoral system reform should include Ranked Choice Voting and proportional representation. Public financing of elections could help limit the impact of "dark money" PACs and the deep pockets influence of the wealth/power elites.The Green New Deal originated with Green Party candidates many years ago. It delineates measures to curb emissions and regenerate habitat. Ecological responsibility must be at the forefront of all our governmental and economic practices.The Pentagon budget is bloated. The United States spends more on militarism than the next six countries combined! We have over 700 bases in dozens of foreign countries. They don't make us safer; rather, they provoke conflagrations. Bring the troops back onto American shores. We should focus on diplomacy instead of militarism.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Revitalization of local community life!

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Green Party leaders from around the country.

Steven Welzer did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Steven Welzer serves on the Editorial Board of the New Green Horizons webzine and is a member of the Elections Committee of the Green Party of New Jersey. He formerly served on the Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States. Steve holds a master's degree in Economics from Rutgers University. He currently lives in East Windsor, NJ.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Our country needs a more open political system. There are surely more than just two perspectives on the issues. The electorate is clamoring for more voices in the system and more choices on the ballots. Let's implement Ranked-Choice Voting so that voters can readily consider expressing their preferences instead of feeling compelled to oppose "the greater evil."We’re facing a crisis of social and ecological unsustainability. The Republicans and Democrats have traded places running the country for 150 years. Their policies have jointly resulted in the inequality, militarism, and big-money domination of our politics that are at the root of the crisis we now face.With over 800 bases worldwide and a military budget approaching $1 Trillion the United States can’t seem to resist getting itself involved in geopolitical conflicts. It’s not in our interest to try to play policeman all over the world. Money and our national reputation are being squandered on militarism. So I advocate closing all the bases, cutting the military budget in half, and reorienting our national priorities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Revitalization of local community life.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Noam Chomsky had an important influence on many through his writings ... and Eugene Debs through his electoral campaigns.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Book: The Green Reader by Andrew Dobson.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Ideological clarity and consistency.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

A distinctive alternative vision for the direction of our society.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To work toward national policies that foster social and ecological sustainability.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The establishment of a strong and enduring Green Party in our state and in our country.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

John Kennedy was assassinated when I was 13.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked for my father in his camera store in South Orange all during my high school years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Green Reader by Andrew Dobson. It's a very good introduction to the novel political philosophy of the Green politics movement.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

William Guest (in "News from Nowhere" by William Morris).

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Imagine" by John Lennon.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Ballot access! The two dominant duopolist parties do all they can to keep alternative candidates from appearing on voters' ballots!

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The scale of a congressional district is such that the voters are able to have influence.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

For a candidate, civic involvement can be as important as governmental service.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Imperial over-extension to the point of exhaustion and depletion.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, though each electoral campaigning period should shortened so as to minimize the attention that needs to be devoted to being up for office every two years.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

The voters can effectuate term limits via elections, we don't need laws for that purpose.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Bernie Sanders was very independent-minded when he served in the House (he has become too much an establishment figure as a Senator).

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Some in my district have relatives in Gaza and are very concerned for their safety.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Donald Trump.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Of course.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I am a strong advocate for demilitarization.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

To investigate funds allocated in a misguided way to the military-industrial complex.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Christina Khalil, Robin Brownfield, Thomas Cannavo, Barry Bendar, Beau Forte, Herb Tarbous, Andrew Black, C. J. Robbins, Ben Taylor, Jon Serrano, Lily Benavides, and Kim Meudt.

What committees interest you?

Environmental and social welfare.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

What happens to our tax dollars in Washington, DC is opaque and remote. Let's retain more of our resources and responsibilities locally.

Interview with NJ Spotlight News

Welzer highlighted the following themes in an interview with NJ Spotlight News in 2024. The questions from NJ Spotlight News are bolded and Welzer's responses follow below.[28]

Personal background: I was born in Newark and have been a New Jersey resident all my life. I earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from Rutgers University. I worked in tech support for the New Jersey Judiciary for almost 25 years.

Political background: I was a founding member of the Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ) in 1997 and a co-chair of the Green Party of the United States in 2012-2013. I was the GPNJ candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 2013.

Reason for running: There is a constituency that supports Green politics. Those voters look forward to seeing a Green Party candidate on their ballot.

Biggest issue: Opening up our electoral system to “more voices and more choices.” Voters tell pollsters that they’re dissatisfied with the ongoing only-two-significant-choices system. There are changes we can make that would enable alternative parties to compete on an equal basis. Ranked-choice Voting is one reform that many states and cities have been implementing.

On the federal government’s role in women’s reproductive health: I advocate ensuring full reproductive rights and bodily autonomy for women. We should codify Roe v Wade in legislation. Our goal should be that every baby born is a wanted child.

On the U.S. transition to clean energy: . Invest in renewable energy infrastructure across the nation, including wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal, with battery and energy storage; build a nationwide, publicly-owned smart electricity grid.

. End all forms of subsidies to the fossil fuel industry; create an Office of Climate Mobilization to coordinate policy changes and other needed interventions to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.

. Transfer some of the billions going toward armaments production toward funding the manufacture of renewable energy and clean transportation technologies; in doing so we could generate millions of good-paying union jobs that green the economy.

. Ensure a Just Transition for workers shifting from the fossil fuel and other extractive and polluting industries.

. Prioritize energy efficiency and conservation; require new buildings to demonstrate zero emissions by 2035 and retrofit existing buildings; subsidize installation of heat pumps to replace fossil fuels for heating and cooling.

. Chemicalized and industrialized corporate agribusiness is driving family farmers off the land, rural America into depression and ecosystems to collapse while failing to end hunger and malnutrition; the corporate agribusiness model is also depleting water aquifers and soils and driving insects to extinction, all leading to the collapse of ecosystems.

On ensuring free and fair elections and the transition of power: . Replace the exclusionary “only-two-significant-parties” system with full multi-party democracy through ranked-choice voting and proportional representation

. Institute full public financing of elections … get the corrupting influence of private money out of politics

. Abolish the Electoral College; elect the president via national popular vote using ranked-choice voting

. Support a modern Voting Rights Act, including non-partisan redistricting commissions and same-day voter registration nationwide.

On the U.S. role in foreign conflicts: The bipartisan endless war machine enriches military contractors, lobbyists, and politicians, while it fuels devastation around the world and drains funds from our domestic needs. The Pentagon budget consumes over half of the discretionary federal budget! We must create a new foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law, and human rights to lead the way to a new era of peace and cooperation. If we cut the military budget by 50% our country would still be spending twice as much as any other country in the world.[29]