Working Families Party

Origins

Dan Cantor was the labor coordinator for Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. After the 1989 NYC mayoral election, Cantor and many labor unions felt betrayed by the Liberal Party of New York, who had endorsed Republican Rudy Giuliani.^[11] In 1990, Cantor and Joel Rogers published Party Time, a memo which argued that progressives should pursue an "inside/outside" strategy, working both "inside" and "outside" the Democratic Party.^[11][20] To that end, Cantor and Rogers formed the New Party in 1990, which hoped to use electoral fusion to push the Democrats leftward.^{[21]: 99–101}

In 1997, the New Party lost 6-3 in Timmons v. Twin Cities Area New Party, which found that state bans on electoral fusion did not violate the First Amendment.^[22][23] With their strategy deflated, the New Party became defunct by 1998. Cantor sought to create a more traditional lib-left-labor coalition party which could compete in states with strong electoral fusion laws, like New York.^{[21]: 99–101} In 1998, Cantor organized the Working Families Party with a coalition of labor unions including CWA and Local 1199/SEIU, advocacy groups including Citizen Action of New York, and community organizations including Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).^[24][11][25] Bill de Blasio, the future mayor of New York City and friend of Cantor, was present for the party's foundation.^[21]: 103

Notable early New Party endorsements included Barack Obama's successful 1996 run for Illinois Senate District 13,^[26][27] Chuck Schumer's successful 1998 run for US Senate against Republican incumbent Al D'Amato,^[28] and Peter Vallone's 1998 run for Governor of New York, which won the WFP the 50,000 votes needed for automatic statewide ballot access.^[29] Vallone won 1,570,317 votes, of which 51,325 on the WFP ballot line.^[30]

In 1997, the New Party lost 6-3 in Timmons v. Twin Cities Area New Party, which found that state bans on electoral fusion did not violate the First Amendment.^[31][23] With their strategy deflated, the New Party became defunct by 1998.^{[21]: 99–101}

Instead of pushing for expanded fusion laws, Cantor sought to create a more traditional lib-left-labor coalition party which could compete in states with already existing strong electoral fusion laws, like New York.^{[21]: 99–101} In 1998, Cantor organized the Working Families Party with a coalition of labor unions including CWA and 1199SEIU, advocacy groups including Citizen Action of New York, and community organizations including ACORN.^[24][11][32] In 2002, WFP expanded to a second state with the Connecticut Working Families Party (CTWFP),^[33] formed by a coalition of labor unions including AFSCME, CWA, and UFCW, and community organizations including ACORN.^[34]

In the 2002 New York gubernatorial election, both of the other left-of-center minor parties failed to reach the 50,000 vote threshold for statewide automatic ballot access, which they had previously held: The Liberal Party, running Andrew Cuomo (who had withdrawn from the Democratic primary),^[24] and the Green Party, running academic Stanley Aronowitz.^[35][36] The Liberal Party dissolved in 2003^{[37]: 294–296} and the Greens lost ballot access^[35] until 2010.^[38][39] This left the WFP as the only left-progressive minor party with a ballot line.^[24]

In 2009, Oregon WFP won a bill to legalize fusion voting in Oregon.^[40]

2010s

In 2010, New York WFP endorsed Andrew Cuomo for New York governor against Republican Carl Paladino.^[41] Cuomo won 154,835 votes (3.32%) on the WFP line.^[42] In 2014, New York WFP considered endorsing Zephyr Teachout, but ultimately re-endorsed Cuomo after a heated public debate, despite dissatisfaction and frustration with his first term.^[43] Cuomo won 126,244 votes (3.31%) on the WFP line.^[44] Cuomo resented the reluctant endorsement and tried to sabotage the party electorally.^[43]

In May 2018, in his bid for a third term, Cuomo defeated Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary. In April 2018, New York WFP endorsed Nixon on the WFP line against Cuomo on the Democratic line, taking the dispute from the primary to the general election. This caused a schism, with CWA and SEIU, New York's biggest union, indicating they would not support the WFP line in the election, which posed to significantly hurt the party's finances.^[45] The unions feared the separate WFP line would drained enough votes from Cuomo to Nixon to spoil the election and allow Republican Marc Molinaro to win.^[46][47] In October 2018, the WFP cleared Nixon from their ticket and endorsed Cuomo, preserving their ballot line placement.^[48] Cuomo won 114,478 votes (1.88%) on the WFP line.^[49]

In December 2015, WFP endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Sanders was WFP's first national endorsement.^[50] In a membership poll, Sanders won 87% of votes, Hillary Clinton 12%, and Martin O'Malley 1%.^[51] In 2016, after Hillary Clinton became the Democratic nominee, WFP endorsed her for the 2016 United States presidential election.^[52]

In September 2019, WFP polled its membership who to endorse in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Elizabeth Warren won 60.91% of votes, Bernie Sanders 35.82%, and other options 3.27%, leading WFP to endorse Warren.^[53] The poll was "weighted", with party leadership (56 people) and dues-paying members (thousands of people) each receiving 50% of the vote.^[54][55] WFP was widely criticized for not releasing the separate vote tallies for each group.^[54][55][56] WFP had released the membership vote in 2015, when Sanders won 87%.^[56][50] Matt Bruenig argued that, if one assumes WFP refused to release results because Sanders won >50% of the membership vote, then Warren must have won only 22%–40% of the member vote but 82%–100% of the leadership vote.^[57] In March 2020, when Warren exited the primary, WFP endorsed Sanders.^[58][59] In August 2020, WFP endorsed Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee.^[60]

Every year since 2019, WFP has delivered a "working people's" response to the State of the Union address.^[61][62]

2020s

In 2020, WFP launched a national program to endorse candidates in House and Senate and became an established party in 18 states.^[63]

In the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary, New York WFP initially gave a ranked endorsement of Scott Stringer 1st, Dianne Morales 2nd, and Maya Wiley 3rd.^[64] After Stringer was accused of sexual assault, WFP rescinded his endorsement and issued a dual endorsement of Morales and Wiley.^[65] After Morales campaign staff alleged union busting, WFP endorsed only Wiley.^[66]

In 2024, New Jersey WFP won an end to "the line", which gave a prioritized line on the election ballot for candidates supported by the Democratic or Republican party, which made challengers less visible. Afterwards, several WFP-endorsed candidates won their Democratic primaries.^[67]

In the 2025 Democratic primary for the election for New York City mayor, WFP sought to defeat former governor Andrew Cuomo. Because the election used ranked choice voting, New York WFP planned to announce an unranked slate, then a ranked slate after front-runners emerged.^[68] In March 2025, WFP's unranked slate endorsed city councillor Adrienne Adams, city comptroller Brad Lander, state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, and state senator Zellnor Myrie.^[19][69] In May 2025, WFP's ranked slate put Mamdani 1st, Lander 2nd, Adams 3rd, Myrie 4th, and state senator Jessica Ramos 5th.^[70] After Ramos endorsed Cuomo, WFP struck Ramos from the list.^[71] WFP leadership said they would not endorse Cuomo, even if he won Democratic primary.^[72] Mamdani won the primary by 12 points over Cuomo.^[73] Mamdani later won the 2025 New York City mayoral election on the Working Families ballot line.^[74]

Economic issues

WFP supports universal healthcare through Medicare For All,^[84][85][85] negotiation to lower prescription drug prices,^[86] universal childcare,^[84] guaranteed paid sick leave,^[84][87][85] paid family leave,^[84] raising the minimum wage,^[87] stronger rights to organize unions,^[84] tuition-free college^[85] and student debt cancellation,^[84][85] increased progressive taxation,^[85] raising corporate taxes,^[84] increasing taxes on wealthy people,^[87] including a billionaire' wealth tax,^[84] and affordable housing^[84] via removing exclusionary zoning^[84] and tenant rights against price gouging and housing discrimination.^[86]

WFP supports public investment in infrastructure and green jobs, the creation of public banks, and public ownership stakes in corporations receiving bailouts. Its 2020 agenda proposed government buyouts of oil and gas companies to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, alongside a just transition for affected workers.^[84]

Social issues

WFP supports abortion rights,^[88] reducing incarceration and shifting resources from policing, prisons, and immigration detention toward schools, housing, healthcare, and employment.^[84] It supports marijuana decriminalization.^[89] It supports tribal sovereignty.^[84]

WFP supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants,^[86] protections from deportation^[86] including the DREAM Act,^[89] and access to work permits.^[86]

Democratic reform

WFP strongly supports electoral fusion in the United States, which allow one candidate to be cross-endorsed by multiple parties. WFP sees fusion as a First Amendment free speech issue, and a way to weaken the two-party system by allowing minor parties to influence major parties.^[90] WFP uses electoral fusion laws in Connecticut, New York, and Oregon. For example, in the 2025 New York City mayoral election, Zohran Mamdani was endorsed by both the Democratic Party and WFP, and appeared on the ballot under both the Democrat label and Working Families label. WFP hopes to leverage this support to push candidates to support progressive reforms.^[91]

WFP supports public financing of election campaigns, including public matching funds for small campaign donations.^[87][89]

Foreign policy

WFP favors international cooperation and diplomacy.^[84] In 2024, it called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to unrestricted military aid to Israel, and diplomatic efforts to free hostages and end the occupation. The party condemned both the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's campaign of collective retribution.^[92]

National committees

WFP slowly developed a national leadership as it expanded from New York (1998), Connecticut (2002), and Oregon (2006) to a national party.^[33] In 2013, WFP state leaders created the National Advisory Board (NAB), an informal twice-a-year meeting. In 2016, the NAB formalized as the Working Families National Committee (WFNC), WFP's highest governing body.^[33] The WFNC selects an Executive Committee (WFNEC) for daily business and two WFNEC co-chairs.^[33] WFP's National Director is Maurice Mitchell,^[93] following Dan Cantor (1998–2018).^[94]

Membership

WFP has two forms of dues-paying membership: Individual members joined the WFP, pay their annual dues, and vote in local WFP chapter and national WFP business. Affiliate members joined a WFP-affiliated labor union or community organization which pays dues on their behalf.^[45] WFP uses a federated party model, in which both WFP chapters (of individual members) and affiliate member organizations send representatives into WFP leadership. In turn, WFP leadership votes on WFP endorsements with a weighted voting scheme, roughly 1 vote per 100 individual members or 1 per 2000 affiliated members.^[45]

Voter registration

As of July 2026^[update] the Working Families Party has 69,363 (0.05%) registered voters,^[1] the 8th-highest in the United States.^[c] WFP has 59,617 registered voters (0.48%) in New York; 8,355 (0.27%) in Oregon; and 318 (0.01%) in Connecticut.^[1]