Has the WFP become toxic on Long Island?
After several years of tough elections for Democrats on Long Island, fewer candidates than ever are opting to run on the left-wing Working Families Party line. Democratic politicos on the island have privately said that the increasingly progressive third party is becoming a liability in the generally moderate suburbs. While some candidates on Long Island are still choosing to take the WFP line, many Democrats in the most competitive districts are either running on other third-party lines or not running on any additional third-party lines. That’s in stark contrast with the Hudson Valley, where the WFP line has remained a sought-after endorsement.
The story of the WFP’s apparent woes on Long Island starts with the Democratic primaries, where candidates backed by the progressive third party lost nearly every competitive election in June. At the congressional level, Nancy Goroff, the pick of the WFP for the 1st Congressional District, lost to John Avlon in the Democratic primary. After that loss, Goroff dropped the line to allow for a two-person race between Avlon and incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in November. Rob Lubin, who is running in the 2nd Congressional District with the support of the WFP, faced no primary for the Democratic line. But he is also running against the safest Republican on Long Island, two-term Rep. Andrew Garbarino, in a district that has not received much attention in Democrats’ congressional battleground strategizing.
At the state legislative level, two Long Island candidates backed by the WFP lost their primary elections. Brad Schwartz, who had the progressive party’s endorsement, lost to Kim Keiserman in the Democratic primary for the 7th state Senate District. Keiserman will now take on Republican incumbent state Sen. Jack Martins, while Schwartz has dropped out of the race. Similarly, WFP-backed candidate Skylar Johnson lost the Democratic primary for Assembly District 4 to Rebecca Kassay. Johnson also dropped out after losing the primary, and Kassay will now run against Republican incumbent Assembly Member Ed Flood.
Noah Burroughs is a notable exception to the trend, winning his primary for Assembly District 18 with the support of the WFP. But unlike the other candidates, he won’t face a competitive general election – Burroughs is running to replace Assembly Member Taylor Darling in a solidly Democratic district. He directed questions about his decision to run on the WFP line to his campaign manager, who did not return several requests for comment. But in a brief phone call, Burroughs said there are a considerable number of registered WFP voters in the district.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/08/has-wfp-become-toxic-long-island/399150/?oref=csny-category-lander-top-story
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