Working Families Party Announces Top Three Candidates For NYC Mayoral Primary

Working Families Party Announces Top Three Candidates For NYC Mayoral Primary


The Working Families Party (WFP) has announced its choices for the New York City mayoral race, which will use ranked-choice voting for the first time.

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to select up to five candidates by preference. If any candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, that candidate wins. If no one receives 50% of the vote in the first round, the person with the least votes is dropped and the second-round votes are tallied.

The WFP selected City Comptroller Scott Stringer as its first choice, nonprofit executive Dianne Morales and former Bill de Blasio advisor Maya Wiley third.

Stringer, Morales, and Wiley are among the election’s three most progressive candidates and all three have received significant endorsements from labor unions, progressive nonprofits, and state lawmakers.

The WFP survived an attempt by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to remove its party line from the ballot after the party endorsed Cuomo’s opponent, Cynthia Nixon for governor in 2018. Cuomo defeated Nixon but tried to kill the party’s line on the ballot after the WFP did not endorse him.

The WFP says it will also educate city residents on ranked-choice voting. Sochie Nnaemeka, the WFP’s New York State Party director said the Democratic primary election, set for June, is likely to go beyond the first round. As a result, it’s not just the top choice that matters.

“Given the likelihood of an instant runoff in the mayor’s race, it is essential New Yorkers vote for these three leaders as their first, second and third choices to ensure a progressive wins,” Nnaemeka told the Gothamist.

The New York City mayoral primary is expected to be one of the most-watched races of the year. Democrats running include former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, former NYC Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, former NYPD officer Eric Adams, former Citi executive Ray McGuire, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and others.


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