This story says that in Rensselaer County, New York, Republican leaders are actively encouraging their supporters to enroll in the Working Families Party, so as to help Republican candidates win the WFP nomination.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Maybe Democrats should start enrolling in the Conservative Party.
Regardless of how much people make fun of our parties in New York (and for good reason, our parties are a mess), I’m still proud our state has some of the highest third party votes averages in the nation.
More NY CON-fusion machinations.
—
NO caucuses, primaries and conventions for nominations.
ONLY equal nominating petitions
PR and NP APPV
TOTSOP
The Conservative and Working Families parties are not real parties. Every year they run a few trivial candidates around the state. But really they just serve as vehicles for mitigating the effects of voter frustration with the major parties.
Seriously FB? The WFP is an extremely valuable home for progressivism. Let me remind you it was the WFP that forced Cuomo to stop his support for the the Independent Democratic Conference as part of the 2014 hostage tape. The mainstream New York Democratic Party is so right wing and so corrupt that the WFP is the only way honest elections can be held; that’s exactly why Cuomo wants to kill it
The Working Families Party has supported a number of Republicans in the past. It is not clear whether the Republicans backed by WFP passed some left ideological litmus test, or whether they just offered patronage. In the past the Liberal Party backed Republicans in some races, including Rudy Giuliani for Mayor 3 times – one losing race and two victories.
In the 1930s and 1940s the American Labor Party coalesced with Republicans in the New York City elections in 1937 and 1941, and backed a number of Republicans for Congress and state legislature. And, a number of ALP candidates won election with Republican support, in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The only ALP victory outside New York City was in Rensselaer County – Eugene Zimmer was elected to the State Assembly in 1940 and 1942 with Republican support.
It seems that the strategy of Rensselaer County Republicans is similar to what Republican and Democrat incumbents throughout the state have been doing with the Independence Party – get some of their own people – patronage employees usually – enrolled in the minor party so they can sign nomination papers for the major party incumbent to get the little party nomination. Nothing new, but not principled.