Though still in the race, somewhere, for the Democratic presidential nomination, former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel has endorsed Green Party presidential nominee Jesse Johnson.

The D.C. Statehood Green Party issued a release on Wednesday announcing the endorsement, which came after a meeting between the two candidates on Friday.

"I'm supporting Jesse because he began his political career with the determination that the environmental plundering must stop," Gravel said, noting the West Virginia resident's crusade against mountain top coal mining is one that the Democratic Party has ignored.

"We must have a voice in the political realm speaking earnestly and intelligently about all of our environmental needs. Johnson and the Green Party have that environmental credibility that we Democrats have lost," Gravel said.

Asked why Gravel took the step of endorsing a candidate in another party while still a Democratic Party candidate, Gravel campaign national multimedia director Sklyer McKinley told FOXNews.com that it presents no conflict since the two parties are still in the primary stages of the 2008 election cycle.

"The senator is still pursuing the Democratic nomination for president. He did endorse Jesse Johnson and the Greens but we're not running against Jesse Johnson and the Green Party," McKinley said.

McKinley said Gravel didn't see any reason "why not" to offer his backing since "voting party line is not smart" and he agrees with Johnson's message as well as the Green Party's approach of "direct democracy, mobilizing at a grassroots level, working with people one-on-one and enabling citizen democracy."

He added he didn't know why Gravel picked Johnson over former Democratic congresswoman and Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney.

"That was his decision," McKinley said.

Johnson, former chairman of the West Virginia Mountain Party and two-time candidate for statewide office, said that Gravel's cross party support "was just the kind of non-traditional, selfless act that we have come to know Senator Mike Gravel to make. I am not surprised that a true patriot and advocate of the citizen as leader of our country would take such an unprecedented and bold stand. And I am honored and humbled that he has elected my campaign and the Green Party as his allies in this very important race to save our environment from the actions of humans."

The Green Party national convention is in Chicago from July 10-13.