NY-17: Why the Working Families Party is campaigning against itself to save Mondaire Jones [View all]
In one hypercompetitive Hudson Valley congressional district, the left-leaning Working Families Party is campaigning on an unusual message: Don't vote for us.
The 17th District is home to one of six congressional seats that New York Democrats are banking on to deliver them a majority in the House of Representatives. Former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones is trying to knock out Mike Lawler, a Republican incumbent whose seat is considered a toss-up. The race is so close that a little-known third-party candidate named Anthony Frascone could make the difference.
But Frascone isn’t running like a regular candidate.
“You’re kidding me,” said Julie Solis, who lives across the street from Frascone, when Gothamist asked for her thoughts on her neighbor running for Congress. “I didn't know that he was the flippin’ Working Families Party candidate.”
Solis, a registered Democrat with a blue Harris/Walz campaign sign in her front yard, is just the kind of voter WFP candidates would typically try to reach. In most New York congressional races, the party line bears the Democratic nominee's name, giving the minor party a chance to stump for progressive issues while granting Democrats another chance to pick up votes.
https://gothamist.com/news/election-2024-new-york-mondaire-jones-mike-lawler
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