Working Families Party
Encyclopedia
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a minor political party
in the United States
founded in New York
in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut
, Massachusetts
, South Carolina
, Delaware
, Pennsylvania
, Vermont
and Oregon
, but there is as yet no national WFP. It seems likely that the state WFPs will form a federation of sorts before 2012, but nothing definitive has been announced.
New York's Working Families Party was first organized in 1998 by a coalition of labor unions, ACORN
and other community organizations
, members of the now-inactive national New Party
, and a variety of public interest groups such as Citizen Action of New York. The party blends a culture of political organizing with unionism, 1960s idealism, and tactical pragmatism. The party's main issue concerns are jobs, health care, education and energy/environment. It has usually cross-endorsed Democratic
or Republican
candidates through fusion voting, but has occasionally run its own candidates.
In the 1998 election
for governor of New York
, the party cross-endorsed
the Democratic Party
candidate, Peter Vallone. Because he received more than 50,000 votes on the WFP line, the party gained an automatic ballot
line for the succeeding four years. In 2000, Patricia Eddington
of the WFP was elected to the New York State Assembly
. In the 2002 election
, the Liberal Party
, running Andrew Cuomo
(who had withdrawn from the Democratic primary
), and the Green Party
, running academic Stanley Aronowitz
, failed to reach that threshold and lost the ballot lines they had previously won. This left the WFP as the only left-progressive minor party
with a ballot line. This situation will continue until at least 2011 following the party's cross-endorsement of Eliot Spitzer
in the 2006 election
, in which he received more than 155,000 votes on the Working Families Party line, more than three times the required 50,000. The Working Families Party endorsed the then U.S. Senator Barack Obama
in the 2008 presidential election.
As of 2006, the executive director of the WFP is Dan Cantor. The party's Co-Chairs are Sam Williams, UAW Region 9 CAP director; Bertha Lewis, ACORN
's executive director; and Bob Master of the Communications Workers of America
. The WFP also has a powerful alliance with Dennis Rivera and Local 1199/SEIU (Service Employees International Union
). The intensely activist union is known to contribute more than $100,000 a year of the party's $1.4 million annual budget.
laws that allow cross-endorsement of a single candidate by multiple parties. This allows sympathetic voters to support a minor party without feeling like they are "wasting" their vote. Usually, the WFP endorses the Democratic Party
candidate, but it has occasionally endorsed Republican Party
candidates in Westchester, Nassau
, and Erie
counties, often as a strategy for spurring bi-partisan action on its policy priorities. The party's sometime-position at the balance of electoral power and the threat of Republican endorsement has allowed it to influence the politics of local Democratic candidates and the state Democratic party. The support of the WFP is sometimes quite important in Democratic primaries, especially in areas where the WFP has a lot of volunteers, such as Binghamton.
In unusual cases, the WFP has put forward its own candidates. In the chaotic situation following the assassination of New York City
councilman James E. Davis by political rival Othniel Askew, the slain councilman's brother Geoffrey Davis was chosen to succeed him in the Democratic primary. As it became clear that Geoffrey Davis lacked his late brother's political experience, fellow Democrat Letitia James
decided to challenge him in the general election on the WFP ticket and won Brooklyn
's 35th City Council district as the first third-party candidate elected there in 30 years. In 2003, the WFP had candidates in over 500 races throughout New York State, the majority of them cross-endorsed. As of April 1, 2010, the Working Families Party had 35,753 enrolled members http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_apr10.pdf, who are eligible to vote in party primaries, 0.34% of registered voters statewide.
In 2006, the party began ballot access drives in California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon, and South Carolina. South Carolina is one of the few states, aside from New York, to permit fusion and the Labor Party had also completed a recent ballot access drive there. Oregon's Working Families Party has gained ballot access with the stated goal of creating a New York-style ballot fusion system.
and Lee Ballenger, (District 3)
. In the SC State House elections, the WFP cross-endorsed Democratic Party candidates Anton Gunn
(Kershaw, Richland), Eugene Platt (Charleston).
In New York, the WFP cross-endorsed the statewide Democratic Party slate.
In Massachusetts, Rand Wilson
won enough votes in the general election for State Auditor to guarantee the Working Families Party ballot access in the following election. Wilson garnered 19% of the vote in the head to head race against Democratic incumbent Joe DeNucci, allowing ballot access in 2008. However the ballot initiative, "question 2", that would allow candidates to be nominated by more than one party failed. The WFP in Massachusetts dubbed the question 2 campaign, "Spinach for Democracy."
.
. The nomination of Michael Cone for the US Senate race
, opposing incumbent Lindsey Graham
, marked the first time the party nominated anyone for statewide office. Cone was defeated by Horry County Republican Committee member Bob Conley
in the Democratic Primary. The SCWFP failed to file paperwork with the South Carolina Election Commission confirming Cone's nomination by the September 5, 2008 deadline. Therefore Cone will not appear on the November ballot. Although WFP did not have its own presidential nominee for the 2008 presidential election
, Senator Barack Obama
was cross-listed on the Working Family Party's ballot line E on the New York State ballot. Oregon's Working Families Party has primarily endorsed Democratic candidates (such as Ben Westlund
and Kate Brown
) and liberal nonpartisan candidates Brad Avakian
and Kitty Piercy
, but has used its ballot line to nominate J. Ashlee Albies for Attorney General
. Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy
of CT-05 was also endorsed by the party, and won reelection.
for New York City mayor and Corey Ellis for Albany mayor.
In 2009, the WFP endorsed two candidates for the Board of Education in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Both candidates won election and are now members of the board.
On December 6, 2004, the WFP saw the enactment of one of its highest legislative priorities, an increase in the New York State minimum wage
, which it had supported since its inception. On that day, both the State Assembly
and the State Senate
joined to override Governor George E. Pataki’s veto of an original bill passed in July, 2004. On January 1, 2005, the state's minimum wage raised to $6.00 an hour from $5.15, before two additional annual steps have now reached $7.15 an hour.
Another major platform of the WFP is to defeat the "Rockefeller drug laws
" in New York State, remnant from when Nelson Rockefeller
was Governor. On election day, November 2, 2004, the WFP contributed largely to the victory of David Soares
to Albany
County District Attorney
. Soares' platform was based on reforming drug policy
, while generally taking a less punitive approach to criminal justice. On December 8, 2004, the most significant reform package of the Rockefeller Drug Laws in 30 years was passed by the State legislature and later was signed by Governor Pataki. While failing to advocate for more judicial discretion, drug treatment over incarceration, and retroactive sentencing reform (meaning the ability to apply these changes to those who have already been sentenced), the reforms are applauded by most as a long overdue, good first step. The reforms do effectively reduce minimum sentences for drug charges, and allow for those convicted of such charges to enter medical treatment centers more easily.
, the Democratic nominee for Governor of New York, accepted the Working Families Party cross-endorsement. The U.S. Attorney General's office had been investigating the WFP for over a year since 2009, and in August 2010, they were said to be clear of any wrongdoing. Cuomo ran with the WFP's endorsement, because the WFP accepted his policy positions.
.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
founded in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, but there is as yet no national WFP. It seems likely that the state WFPs will form a federation of sorts before 2012, but nothing definitive has been announced.
New York's Working Families Party was first organized in 1998 by a coalition of labor unions, ACORN
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues...
and other community organizations
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
, members of the now-inactive national New Party
New Party (USA)
The New Party was a third political party in the United States that tried to re-introduce the practice of electoral fusion as a political strategy for labor unions and community organizing groups. In electoral fusion, the same candidate receives nomination from more than one political party and...
, and a variety of public interest groups such as Citizen Action of New York. The party blends a culture of political organizing with unionism, 1960s idealism, and tactical pragmatism. The party's main issue concerns are jobs, health care, education and energy/environment. It has usually cross-endorsed Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
or Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidates through fusion voting, but has occasionally run its own candidates.
In the 1998 election
Election results, New York governor
There have been 90 gubernatorial elections in the state of New York since 1777.-General information:Originally the term was three years long and began on July 1, the election being held in the last week of April or May 1. In 1817, following the resignation of Daniel D...
for governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
, the party cross-endorsed
Electoral fusion
Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...
the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate, Peter Vallone. Because he received more than 50,000 votes on the WFP line, the party gained an automatic ballot
Ballot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...
line for the succeeding four years. In 2000, Patricia Eddington
Patricia Eddington
Patricia A. Eddington served from 2001 through 2009 in the New York State Assembly, representing District 3 which comprises Patchogue, Medford, Coram and Yaphank, among other neighboring communities within Suffolk County, New York...
of the WFP was elected to the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
. In the 2002 election
New York gubernatorial election, 2002
The New York gubernatorial election of 2002 was an election for the state governorship held on November 5, 2002. Governor George Pataki, the two-term Republican incumbent, was re-elected with 49% of the vote, defeating both the Democratic nominee, State Comptroller Carl McCall and Independence...
, the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of New York
The Liberal Party of New York is a minor American political party that has been active only in the state of New York. Its platform supports a standard set of social liberal policies: it supports right to abortion, increased spending on education, and universal health care.As of 2007, the Liberal...
, running Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
(who had withdrawn from the Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
), and the Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
, running academic Stanley Aronowitz
Stanley Aronowitz
Stanley Aronowitz is professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is also a veteran political activist and cultural critic and an advocate for organized labor.-Social Text:...
, failed to reach that threshold and lost the ballot lines they had previously won. This left the WFP as the only left-progressive minor party
Minor party
Minor party is a political party that play a smaller role than a major party in a country's politics and elections. The difference between minor and major parties can be so big that the membership total, donations, and the candidates that they are able to produce or attract are very distinct...
with a ballot line. This situation will continue until at least 2011 following the party's cross-endorsement of Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
in the 2006 election
New York gubernatorial election, 2006
The New York gubernatorial election of 2006 was a race for the governorship of this U.S. state. Eliot Spitzer was elected on November 7, 2006, succeeding Governor George Pataki, the three-term incumbent, who did not run for a fourth term....
, in which he received more than 155,000 votes on the Working Families Party line, more than three times the required 50,000. The Working Families Party endorsed the then U.S. Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in the 2008 presidential election.
As of 2006, the executive director of the WFP is Dan Cantor. The party's Co-Chairs are Sam Williams, UAW Region 9 CAP director; Bertha Lewis, ACORN
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
's executive director; and Bob Master of the Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States representing about 550,000 members in both the private and public sectors. The union has 27 locals in Canada via CWA-SCA Canada representing about 8,000 members...
. The WFP also has a powerful alliance with Dennis Rivera and Local 1199/SEIU (Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
). The intensely activist union is known to contribute more than $100,000 a year of the party's $1.4 million annual budget.
Electoral strategy
Like other minor parties in the state, the WFP benefits from New York's electoral fusionElectoral fusion
Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...
laws that allow cross-endorsement of a single candidate by multiple parties. This allows sympathetic voters to support a minor party without feeling like they are "wasting" their vote. Usually, the WFP endorses the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate, but it has occasionally endorsed Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidates in Westchester, Nassau
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
, and Erie
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
counties, often as a strategy for spurring bi-partisan action on its policy priorities. The party's sometime-position at the balance of electoral power and the threat of Republican endorsement has allowed it to influence the politics of local Democratic candidates and the state Democratic party. The support of the WFP is sometimes quite important in Democratic primaries, especially in areas where the WFP has a lot of volunteers, such as Binghamton.
In unusual cases, the WFP has put forward its own candidates. In the chaotic situation following the assassination of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
councilman James E. Davis by political rival Othniel Askew, the slain councilman's brother Geoffrey Davis was chosen to succeed him in the Democratic primary. As it became clear that Geoffrey Davis lacked his late brother's political experience, fellow Democrat Letitia James
Letitia James
Letitia A. "Tish" James is an American lawyer, activist and politician in the Working Families Party. She is the current New York City Council member for Brooklyn's 35th Council District. Elected in November 2003, she represents the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown...
decided to challenge him in the general election on the WFP ticket and won Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
's 35th City Council district as the first third-party candidate elected there in 30 years. In 2003, the WFP had candidates in over 500 races throughout New York State, the majority of them cross-endorsed. As of April 1, 2010, the Working Families Party had 35,753 enrolled members http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_apr10.pdf, who are eligible to vote in party primaries, 0.34% of registered voters statewide.
In 2006, the party began ballot access drives in California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon, and South Carolina. South Carolina is one of the few states, aside from New York, to permit fusion and the Labor Party had also completed a recent ballot access drive there. Oregon's Working Families Party has gained ballot access with the stated goal of creating a New York-style ballot fusion system.
2006 candidates
In South Carolina, WFP cross-endorsed Democratic party congressional nominees Randy Maatta, (District 1)South Carolina's 1st congressional district
The 1st Congressional District of South Carolina is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina. It stretches from Seabrook Island in the south to the North Carolina border and includes parts of Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley and Georgetown counties and all of Horry county...
and Lee Ballenger, (District 3)
South Carolina's 3rd congressional district
The 3rd Congressional District of South Carolina is a congressional district in western South Carolina bordering both Georgia and North Carolina. It includes all of Abbeville, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Oconee, Pickens and Saluda counties and approximately half of Aiken...
. In the SC State House elections, the WFP cross-endorsed Democratic Party candidates Anton Gunn
Anton Gunn
Anton J. Gunn is an American politician who was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, serving District 79 which includes parts of Richland and Kershaw Counties...
(Kershaw, Richland), Eugene Platt (Charleston).
In New York, the WFP cross-endorsed the statewide Democratic Party slate.
In Massachusetts, Rand Wilson
Rand Wilson
Rand Wilson has worked as a union organizer and labor communicator in the United States since the 1980s.Wilson started in the labor movement as a member of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union...
won enough votes in the general election for State Auditor to guarantee the Working Families Party ballot access in the following election. Wilson garnered 19% of the vote in the head to head race against Democratic incumbent Joe DeNucci, allowing ballot access in 2008. However the ballot initiative, "question 2", that would allow candidates to be nominated by more than one party failed. The WFP in Massachusetts dubbed the question 2 campaign, "Spinach for Democracy."
2007 victories
The WFP elected two party members to the city council of Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
.
2008 candidates
On May 10, 2008 the South Carolina Working Families Party convention endorsed five candidates for state and local office. All candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination via the June 10 primary. The convention instructed the incoming party leadership to nominate the eventual Democratic nominees for President and Vice-President. One candidate, Eugene Platt, running SC State House District 115, was also nominated by the South Carolina Green PartySouth Carolina Green Party
The South Carolina Green Party is a ballot-qualified political party in the state of South Carolina. It is the state affiliate party of the national Green Party of the United States....
. The nomination of Michael Cone for the US Senate race
United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2008
The 2008 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham won re-election to a second term.-Campaign:...
, opposing incumbent Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...
, marked the first time the party nominated anyone for statewide office. Cone was defeated by Horry County Republican Committee member Bob Conley
Bob Conley
Robert M. "Bob" Conley is an American pilot, engineer, and politician. He was the 2008 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from South Carolina; he ran against and lost to Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham....
in the Democratic Primary. The SCWFP failed to file paperwork with the South Carolina Election Commission confirming Cone's nomination by the September 5, 2008 deadline. Therefore Cone will not appear on the November ballot. Although WFP did not have its own presidential nominee for the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
was cross-listed on the Working Family Party's ballot line E on the New York State ballot. Oregon's Working Families Party has primarily endorsed Democratic candidates (such as Ben Westlund
Ben Westlund
Ben Westlund was a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Democrat, he was elected State Treasurer in 2008. Previously, Westlund served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Republican from 1996 to 2006, as an independent from 2006 to 2007, and then as a Democrat...
and Kate Brown
Kate Brown
Katherine or Kate Brown may refer to:*Catherine Brown née Catherine Gibson , Scottish swimmer who competed in the 1948 Olympic Games*Catherine Brown , GMTV Scotland presenter and news editor*Catherine Brown...
) and liberal nonpartisan candidates Brad Avakian
Brad Avakian
Bradley Paul "Brad" Avakian is the Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. He was appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski on April 8, 2008 and subsequently elected statewide on November 4, 2008...
and Kitty Piercy
Kitty Piercy
Kitty Piercy is an American politician. She is the current mayor of Eugene, Oregon, sworn in January 2005 and re-elected to a second term in 2008. During the 1990s, she was Minority Leader of the Oregon House of Representatives....
, but has used its ballot line to nominate J. Ashlee Albies for Attorney General
Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term...
. Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy (politician)
Christopher Scott "Chris" Murphy is the U. S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.Murphy previously served in the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut Senate....
of CT-05 was also endorsed by the party, and won reelection.
2009 candidates
For the elections taking place in November, 2009, the WFP endorsed several candidates for local offices. Among them were Bill ThompsonBill Thompson (New York)
William Colridge Thompson, Jr. , known as Bill or Billy, was the 42nd Comptroller of New York City. Sworn into office on January 1, 2002, he was reelected to serve a second term that began on January 1, 2006. He left office on December 31, 2009, having been succeeded by John Liu...
for New York City mayor and Corey Ellis for Albany mayor.
In 2009, the WFP endorsed two candidates for the Board of Education in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Both candidates won election and are now members of the board.
Platform
The WFP was launched with the agenda of well-paying jobs, affordable housing, accessible health care, better public schools and more investment in public services.On December 6, 2004, the WFP saw the enactment of one of its highest legislative priorities, an increase in the New York State minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
, which it had supported since its inception. On that day, both the State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
and the State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
joined to override Governor George E. Pataki’s veto of an original bill passed in July, 2004. On January 1, 2005, the state's minimum wage raised to $6.00 an hour from $5.15, before two additional annual steps have now reached $7.15 an hour.
Another major platform of the WFP is to defeat the "Rockefeller drug laws
Rockefeller drug laws
The Rockefeller Drug Laws is the term used to denote the statutes dealing with the sale and possession of "narcotic" drugs in the New York State Penal Law. The laws are named after Nelson Rockefeller, who was the state's governor at the time the laws were adopted...
" in New York State, remnant from when Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
was Governor. On election day, November 2, 2004, the WFP contributed largely to the victory of David Soares
David Soares
P. David Soares is the current Albany County District Attorney. He is a Democrat.- Personal life :Soares was the youngest of the six children of Lucas and Lidia Soares. When he was six years old his family moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He received a Bachelor's Degree in communications from...
to Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
County District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
. Soares' platform was based on reforming drug policy
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
, while generally taking a less punitive approach to criminal justice. On December 8, 2004, the most significant reform package of the Rockefeller Drug Laws in 30 years was passed by the State legislature and later was signed by Governor Pataki. While failing to advocate for more judicial discretion, drug treatment over incarceration, and retroactive sentencing reform (meaning the ability to apply these changes to those who have already been sentenced), the reforms are applauded by most as a long overdue, good first step. The reforms do effectively reduce minimum sentences for drug charges, and allow for those convicted of such charges to enter medical treatment centers more easily.
Election finance laws controversy
- In August 2009, the publication City Hall News raised questions as to whether the WFP pays rent erratically. Political parties are required to pay rent in order to ensure that no party is getting an unfair monetary advantage over others, and the parties are required to report all money paid out for expenditures.
- In the same month, various media raised questions about the relationship between the WFP, a non-profit political party, and a for-profit private company called Data and Field Services (DFS). In particular, the New York Times, in an editorial piece, questioned whether DFS may be charging select clients below market rates for political services. This would be a campaign contribution and would need to be reported as such.
2010 - New York gubernatorial election
Andrew CuomoAndrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
, the Democratic nominee for Governor of New York, accepted the Working Families Party cross-endorsement. The U.S. Attorney General's office had been investigating the WFP for over a year since 2009, and in August 2010, they were said to be clear of any wrongdoing. Cuomo ran with the WFP's endorsement, because the WFP accepted his policy positions.
External links
- Working Families Party website
- Connecticut Working Families Party website
- Delaware Working Families Party website
- Oregon Working Families Party website
- South Carolina Working Families Party website
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