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ArcticStones's avatar

Why is the Working Families Party running a candidate, Anthony Frascone, against Mondaire Jones? Surely the party knows their candidate is a spoiler, benefiting only Mike Lawler. Do they really prefer Lawler over Jones??

These sort of things always puzzle me.

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Paleo's avatar

Jones opposed Bowman for re-election, said he would have attended Netanyahu’s speech if he were in congress, and cost the left a seat by running in a NYC district in 2022. Those are three reasons I can think of.

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bpfish's avatar

Are those really the WFP's motivations or just general criticisms? Frascone sounds more like a GOP plant than a challenge from the left.

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Paleo's avatar

Enough party members in the district were pissed off enough to deny Jones the spot even though the party leadership was opposed to Frascone. You piss enough people off enough times, and you get what you deserve.

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Jonathan's avatar

I'll go back to the point that Jones is a political lightweight(I'm not convinced he actually loses but imo if he does, only he is to blame)

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Jonathan's avatar

He won the primary

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Tigercourse's avatar

Someone didn't get their envelope. The Working Families party has a long history of supporting Republicans.

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ArcticStones's avatar

Really? I was under the delusion that it was a small progressive party, aligned with Democrats.

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Alex Hupp's avatar

This isn't true

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Tigercourse's avatar

I have lived here my whole life and it is absolutely true. They do less of it now than they used to, but it how they have always operated.

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Paleo's avatar

What Republicans have the WFP supported?

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Tigercourse's avatar

Nick Spano (I'm sure about). Vincent Leibell (I think). There doesn't seem to be a record anywhere so I have to go by 20 year old memories and look things up.

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Alex Hupp's avatar

So you're basing your claim on the WFP having a "long history of supporting Republicans" on one candidate you're sure about and one you aren't. And this somehow discredits their decades-long history supporting progressive candidates and movements. Cool!

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Tigercourse's avatar

basing it off of a long understanding of the party. Sorry I can't remember every race from 20 years ago. They backed multiple Republican state senators around me. They didn't support Andrea Stewart Cousins against her Republican opponent. Do you live in NY?

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michaelflutist's avatar

I do, and their history as far as I know is of being on the left side of the Democratic Party.

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dragonfire5004's avatar

You’re all pretty much right depending on when you start your political knowledge base imo. They don’t support Republicans today, so much as they did previously. They do, however, sometimes cause Republicans to win elections by the choice made by the party’s primary voters. A key distinction, but in essence and practicality, they end with the same result.

I view the Working Families Party as the Conservative Party is to the Republican Party, but to Democrats. They’ve had this problem before in elections too. 90-95% of the time, their primary voters nominate the Democratic nominee, but sometimes, on occasion, they won’t. Be it for a different primary winner being different than the party’s endorsement, like now, some weird election problem like death or lawsuit, or a candidate they really liked.

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michaelflutist's avatar

Yes, they are analogous to the Conservative Party in New York.

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Jonathan's avatar

I am curious about this; if you have time, could you elaborate?.. I think it might make for a worthwhile discussion

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Tigercourse's avatar

They primarily back Democrats but will also support Republicans who are/or claim to be, favorable to labor. Most of those Republicans are gone around here so they have less of an opportunity to do that.

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James Trout's avatar

The mistaken notion that Jones losing will force the Democratic Party to move left in terms of ideology.

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ArcticStones's avatar

Wow! Sounds just like the Democratic Socialists of America denouncing AOC because of... well, whatever.

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Jeff Singer's avatar

This is not what's happening here. As we wrote in link above, the WFP leadership opposed Anthony Frascone, he won the primary anyway.

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