Randy Toler (born c. 1965) is an American candidate and political activist. He claimed to have founded the Green Party of the United States when he was 17 years old,[1] but this is disputed by the Green Party's official account.[2]
Toler has claimed to have founded the Green Party of the United States as a teenager in the 1970s.[8] According to Toler, the party stuck mostly to the west coast for its first few years.[9] In 1983, the party went national, opting to endorse Walter Mondale's unsuccessful presidential run instead of running its own candidate.[1] This led to a conflict with the Citizen's Party over which party would represent the US Green Party abroad.[9]
Toler's account has been disputed.[6] The Green Party's official account credits Alan Philbrook and John Rensenbrink for founding the Maine Green Party in 1984, which led to the national party being organized several years later.[2]
Electoral history
2014 school board
Toler ran for school board for Hillsborough County Public Schools district on a platform calling for greater resources for special needs students.[10] He finished in 6th place.[3]
2014 Hillsborough County Public Schools District 6
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Nonpartisan
April Griffen (incumbent)
31,272
27%
N/A
Nonpartisan
Dipa Shah
19,022
16.4%
N/A
Nonpartisan
Stacy Hahn
18,214
15.7%
N/A
Nonpartisan
Paula P. Meckley
17,050
14.7%
N/A
Nonpartisan
Allison McGillivray Fernandez
14,441
12.5%
N/A
Nonpartisan
Randy Toler
7,587
6.5%
N/A
Nonpartisan
Lee Sierra
5,044
4.4%
N/A
Nonpartisan
Asher D. Edelson
3,302
2.8%
N/A
2016 school board
Toler ran again for school board, calling for ending bureaucracy and the elimination of Common Core, in addition to increased resources for special needs kids.[11] His wife, Alica, also ran for a different school board seat.[12] He finished in 5th place,[3] while his wife also lost her election.[13]
2016 Hillsborough County Public Schools District 7
Toler filed paperwork to run for president in August 2021,[4] but did not campaign for the office until July 2023.[14] As of January 2024, he is listed as an active Presidential candidate by the party's Presidential Campaign Support Committee.[15] His platform calls for "putting the green back in Green Party."[6] He has also filed paperwork to run for US Senate in Florida.[5]