Stringer, Morales, and Wiley
In a nod to the city’s new ranked-choice voting system—and in a sign that progressives want to come together to stop the rise of more moderate candidates—the Working Families Party announced its ranked mayoral endorsements late Tuesday, giving the top spot to Scott Stringer, the New York City Comptroller, followed by former non-profit executive Dianne Morales as their second choice, and civil rights attorney Maya Wiley as their third.
The top-ranking serves as a boost to Stringer who launched his campaign with early support from several of the city’s foremost progressive elected officials, but found himself competing for the city’s progressive mantle and trailing more centrist candidates, Andrew Yang and Eric Adams, in the limited public polling.
“We are confident Scott Stringer has both a path to victory and can lead New York out of this public health and economic crisis, centering the needs of Black, brown, and immigrant New Yorkers, and ensuring our communities do not just survive, but thrive in the years to come,” said Sochie Nnaemeka, the WFP’s New York State Party Director.
While only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary in June, the announcement comes at a moment when the third-party group has shown its organizing prowess, staving off an attack to kill the WFP ballot line last November by turning out more than 225,000 voters with a multi-platform campaign to educate voters.
Party leaders say they plan to bring that same energy to educating voters about the importance of ranked-choice voting, which will allow voters to select up to five candidates in order of preference, emphasizing their picks of the most progressive candidates and why it’s not just about the top choice that matters.
“Given the likelihood of an instant runoff in the mayor’s race,” Nnaemeka said, describing what happens if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote on the first tally, “it is essential New Yorkers vote for these three leaders as their first, second and third choices to ensure a progressive wins.”
The formal endorsement process played out over several weeks as the organizations that make up the WFP’s regional advisory council reviewed questionnaires submitted by candidates, held interviews, and ultimately held a vote Tuesday evening.
The Stringer campaign entered the fight with several well-known surrogates ready to make his case. He also secured the endorsement from one influential WFP organization, New York Communities for Change. Their director, Jonathan Westin, said they saw three leading candidates emerging in the race: Stringer, Adams, and Yang.
While he said Stringer was their pick based on policy, citing his work as comptroller pushing for the city to divest its pension funds from fossil fuels as well as his plans to create more deeply affordable housing, Westin said his organization also was making a bet on who could take on an Adams or Yang. “A lot of it is viability and fundraising,” he told Gothamist / WNYC.
But the fact that the organization did not make a single endorsement is also a signal of the strong support for Morales and Wiley. George Albro, one of the founding members of the Working Families Party, who serves as co-chair of the New York Progressive Action Network, said NYPAN independently made a duel endorsement of both Morales and Wiley.
“We just saw this as a historic opportunity, two progressive women of color,” Albro said. “Normally we would just make one endorsement. But because of ranked-choice voting and the role that it plays, we did both.”
WFP supporters of Morales applauded her proposal to shift half the NYPD budget to social services and her success in grassroots fundraising. Wiley, who is seen as running just behind Stringer, Adams, and Yang, has been cited for her civil rights record and the experience she gained during her stint in City Hall.
The WFP’s final ranked-choice voting endorsement reflects the varied sentiments of the progressive groups who met for the WFP’s private endorsement meeting Tuesday, where at least 60% of the voting members present, minus any abstentions, needed to approve an endorsement motion.
It may also send a signal to other organizations still weighing their final endorsement. The United Federation of Teachers has been conducting an intensive endorsement process including a fiery town hall last week. The teachers union is expected to make their choice in the coming days.
