WFP announces endorsements for open NYC Council seats

The Working Families Party on Thursday made its endorsements in some of the most closely watched New York City Council primaries this cycle, weighing in on contests for open seats. The party is also formally backing New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is facing a challenge from moderate Queens Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar. Rajkumar didn’t apply for the endorsement.

“New Yorkers are clamoring for local governments that stand unequivocally behind the needs of working families in the face of Trump’s chaos and fear,” co-directors Ana María Archila and Jasmine Gripper said in a statement. “We are proud to support these candidates who will continue to serve their communities and win bold, progressive change for New York.”

In its endorsements for both Council Districts 2 and 21, the party is actively opposing two scandal-scarred men: former Rep. Anthony Weiner and ex-state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, respectively. While WFP is telling voters to rank Assembly Member Harvey Epstein first in the District 2 contest, it is also endorsing Sarah Batchu and Andrea Gordillo, both of whom were recently endorsed by the New Majority PAC. Epstein has received WFP’s support in years past. “He has very active, very engaged relationships with every organization in our coalition – people know him as one of the legislators that will always lead a difficult fight and stand by our issues,” Archila said. “So I think he had that sort of already built-in advantage.”

Though forming an “anti-Hiram coalition” was a “real consideration” in the race to replace term-limited Queens City Council Member Francisco Moya, Archila said all three candidates the party is endorsing – City Council intergovernmental affairs staffer Erycka Montoya, Sandro Navarro, who is district director for state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Queens Community Board 3 member Shanel Thomas-Henry – “have their own strengths” and emphasized the party wants to “uplift them all.” But ultimately, WFP recommended that voters rank Montoya first. “She displayed an understanding of, a preparedness for the role at City Hall,” Archila said. It’s a big win for Montoya; while she has the backing of area Assembly Members Jessica González-Rojas and Catalina Cruz, Thomas-Henry has had very strong fundraising compared to her opponents.  

The new slate comes weeks after the party rolled out endorsements in races with incumbent City Council members, as well as for Council Member Justin Brannan for city comptroller. The party’s support for Brannan – who is more moderate than some of WFP’s typical choices – and for Council Member Chris Marte in particular sparked some surprise. Asked about the pushback and questions as to whether the party is trending more toward the center in favor of candidates with existing political infrastructure, Archila acknowledged that WFP is “a big tent.” 

“We have always tried to actually elevate people who are committed to a working families agenda, who are of different ideological leanings, because the thing that drives our political project is an agenda that delivers for workers and their families,” she said. “And so we can't win that agenda with just six people in a legislative body – it just doesn't work like that. We have to build towards a majority so that we can actually win.”

In District 8, where WFP backed Elsie Encarnacion, chief of staff to the outgoing term-limited City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, encouraging voters to rank her first and not backing any other candidates. That’s where “Exonerated Five” member Raymond Santana is running, as well. Asked whether Santana’s late entrance into the race had an impact on the party’s endorsement of Encarnacion, Archila said the party is “keeping its doors open” to potential additional ones in the contest. 

And in District 4, the party opted only to endorse former public school teacher and Lexington Democratic Club President Vanessa Aronson, despite there being a very wide field, one that includes former district leader Ben Wetzler and Virginia Maloney, daughter of longtime Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Neither Wetzler nor Maloney applied. 

In addition to announcing his WFP endorsement Thursday, Williams is unveiling a slate of several others, including New York Progressive Action Network, the Guy R. Brewer United Democratic Club, Shirley Chisholm Democratic Club and, perhaps most notably, the backing of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council. 

This is not the last of the WFP’s endorsements for the cycle. It is well into its vetting process for mayoral candidates, and held candidate interviews, which were open to WFP members, last weekend. 

Here’s the full list of WFP’s latest endorsements:

New York City Public Advocate

• Jumaane Williams

City Council District 2

• Harvey Epstein (No. 1), Sarah Batchu and Andrea Gordillo

City Council District 4

• Vanessa Aronson (No. 1)

City Council District 8

• Elsie Encarnacion (No. 1)

City Council District 13

• Shirley Aldebol (No. 1) and David Diaz

City Council District 17

• Antirson Ortiz (No. 1), Justin Sanchez and Elvis Santana 

City Council District 19

• Alexander Caruso (No. 1)

City Council District 21

• Erycka Montoya (No. 1), Sandro Navarro and Shanel Thomas-Henry

City Council District 47

• Kayla Santosuosso (No. 1)