Working Families Party facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Working Families Party
National Director	Maurice Mitchell
Founder	Dan Cantor
Founded	1998; 27 years ago (1998)
Merger of	New Party Citizen Action Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
Headquarters	1 Metrotech Center North, 11 Brooklyn, New York 11201
Membership (November 2024)	59,779 (registered voters in state of New York)
Ideology	Progressivism Social democracy Democratic socialism
Political position	Left-wing
Colors	Blue and white (formerly)           Purple and orange (current)
Seats in the Senate	0 / 100
Seats in the House	0 / 435
Governorships	0 / 50
State Upper House Seats	0 / 1,972
State Lower House Seats	0 / 5,411
Philadelphia City Council	2 / 17
Politics of the United States Political parties

The Working Families Party (WFP) is a smaller political party in the United States. It was started in New York in 1998. The party focuses on ideas that aim to improve society and help people, like making sure everyone has good healthcare and raising the minimum wage.

The WFP also works on making sure people have paid sick days, helping with student debt, improving public education, and protecting the environment. You can find active groups of the WFP in many states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

History of the Working Families Party

The Working Families Party began in 1998. It was formed by a group of workers' unions, community organizations, and other groups. Some of these groups included the New Party (which is no longer active) and Citizen Action of New York.

Dan Cantor, who helped with Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign in 1988, was one of the founders. He and Joel Rogers wrote a book suggesting a "party within the party." They started the New Party in 1990, which used a special rule called electoral fusion. This rule allows a candidate to appear on more than one party's ballot line.

By 1997, the New Party was losing support. So, Dan Cantor and others decided to form the Working Families Party in 1998. Bill de Blasio, who later became the mayor of New York City, was there when the party was founded.

In 2002, the Connecticut Working Families Party was formed. It included groups like the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. In 2010, the party helped train many candidates for the New York City Council election in 2013. Twelve of these candidates won their elections.

What the WFP Believes In

The WFP believes in progressive politics. This means they support ideas that aim to make society fairer and help more people. They describe themselves as a "grassroots independent political organization." This means their power comes from ordinary people and local communities, not just from big leaders.

How the WFP Wins Elections

The WFP uses a special election rule in New York called electoral fusion. This rule lets them support a candidate from another party, like the Democratic Party, and have that candidate's name appear on both the WFP line and the other party's line on the ballot. This helps the WFP show its support for certain candidates and gain more votes.

Sometimes, the WFP also puts forward its own candidates. For example, in 2003, after a New York City councilman was sadly killed, Letitia James decided to run for his seat. She ran on the WFP ticket and won, becoming the first third-party candidate elected in that area in 30 years. However, she later switched back to the Democratic Party.

The WFP has supported many well-known politicians. These include former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, and current New York Attorney General Letitia James. They also supported Brandon Johnson, the current mayor of Chicago.

In 2015, Edwin Gomes became the first person in the country to win a state legislative office (in Connecticut) running only as a WFP candidate. In 2017, Joshua M. Hall also won a state legislative office in Connecticut solely as a WFP candidate.

The WFP made its first national endorsement in 2015, supporting Bernie Sanders for U.S. president. In 2016, after Hillary Clinton became the Democratic nominee, the WFP supported her for president. In 2019, the WFP supported Elizabeth Warren for president. When she left the race, they again supported Bernie Sanders.

National Presence

Since 2019, the WFP has invited important progressive elected officials to give a speech after the State of the Union address by the President. This is usually done by the party that is not in power. These officials have included:

• Mandela Barnes, former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (2019)
• Ayanna Pressley, U.S. representative from Massachusetts (2020)
• Jamaal Bowman, U.S. representative from New York (2021)
• Rashida Tlaib, U.S. representative from Michigan (2022)
• Delia Ramirez, U.S. representative from Illinois (2023)
• Nicolas O'Rourke, from the Philadelphia City Council (2024)
• Lateefah Simon, U.S. representative from California (2025)

Campaigns and Elections

1990s Campaigns

In the 1998 election for governor of New York, the WFP supported the Democratic candidate, Peter Vallone. Because he received more than 50,000 votes on the WFP line, the party automatically got a spot on the ballot for the next four years. The WFP also supported Chuck Schumer in his 1998 campaign for the New York Senate, which he won.

2000s Campaigns

In 2000, Patricia Eddington of the WFP was elected to the New York State Assembly. In the 2002 election, other smaller parties lost their ballot lines because their candidates didn't get enough votes. This left the WFP as the main left-leaning smaller party with a ballot line.

In 2003, Letitia James won a New York City Council seat running only on the WFP line. This was a big win for the party.

In 2006, the party started working to get on the ballot in other states like California, Delaware, and Oregon. In 2007, the WFP elected two of its members to the city council in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 2009, some questions were raised about the WFP's relationship with a private company. However, a federal investigation into the party ended in 2010 with no charges being filed.

2010s Campaigns

In 2010, the Connecticut WFP supported Dannel Malloy for governor. He received many votes as a Working Families candidate, which helped the party keep its ballot access in that state.

In 2011, the WFP won all three minority seats on the Hartford City Council in Connecticut. This meant Republicans no longer had seats there.

In 2014, the WFP again supported Andrew Cuomo for New York governor, even though some members were not happy with his first term.

In February 2015, Edwin Gomes became the first candidate in the country to win a state legislative office running only as a WFP nominee. In May 2015, Diana Richardson also won a special election for a seat in the New York State Assembly running only on the WFP ticket.

In December 2015, the WFP supported Bernie Sanders for U.S. president. This was the first time the WFP supported a candidate in a national presidential race. In 2016, after Hillary Clinton became the Democratic nominee, the WFP supported her for president.

In 2017, Joshua M. Hall became the second candidate to win a state legislative office in Connecticut running only as a WFP nominee. Also in 2017, Randall Woodfin, who was supported by the WFP, was elected Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama.

In 2018, the WFP supported Cynthia Nixon over the current governor, Andrew Cuomo, in New York. This caused some unions to say they would not support the party. However, the WFP later agreed to support Cuomo to keep their ballot line.

In 2019, the WFP supported Elizabeth Warren for president. After she left the race, they supported Bernie Sanders. Also in 2019, Kendra Brooks, a WFP candidate, won a seat on the Philadelphia City Council. This was the first time in 40 years that one of the minority party seats on the council went to a candidate not from the Democratic or Republican party.

2020s Campaigns

In March 2020, after Elizabeth Warren left the presidential race, the WFP supported Bernie Sanders for president. They later supported Joe Biden in August 2020.

In 2021, for the New York City mayoral primary, the WFP first supported Scott Stringer, then Dianne Morales and Maya Wiley. They later backed Wiley.

In January 2022, the WFP started a chapter in California. Jane Kim, a former San Francisco Supervisor, became its executive director.

In 2023, Councilmember Kendra Brooks was re-elected to the Philadelphia City Council. Also, Nicolas O'Rourke, another WFP candidate, won a seat on the Philadelphia City Council. This brought the total number of WFP members on the council to two.

In October 2023, the party spoke out about the conflict in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire and criticizing the U.S. for providing military aid to Israel. In March 2024, during the State of the Union response, the party again called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In April 2024, the New York WFP supported a movement for voters to leave their ballots blank in the Democratic primary to protest President Biden's policies. In July 2024, after President Biden decided not to run for re-election, the WFP supported Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

In the 2024 election for California's U.S. Senate seat, the WFP supported Congresswoman Barbara Lee. They also supported the re-election campaigns of other senators like Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

For the 2025 New York City mayoral election, the WFP announced a group of candidates they supported, including city councilor Adrienne Adams and state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. They later ranked Mamdani as their top choice. In New Jersey, the WFP supported Newark mayor Ras Baraka for governor.

Leadership

The Working Families Party has leaders in different states. Some of these leaders include Ana Maria Archila and Jasmine Gripper in New York, Sue Altman in New Jersey, and Jane Kim in California. The national director for the WFP is Maurice Mitchell.

Notable Elected Officials

Here are some important elected officials who won their elections only on the Working Families Party ballot line:

See also

In Spanish: Partido de Familias Trabajadoras para niños

• Union organizer