Working Families Party facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Working Families Party
Founder	Dan Cantor
Founded	1998; 27 years ago (1998)
Preceded by	New Party
Headquarters	1 Metrotech Center North, 11 Brooklyn, New York 11201
Membership (November 2023)	53,565 (registered voters in state of New York)
Ideology	Social democracy Democratic socialism Progressivism
Political position	Left-wing
Colors	Blue, White (official)           Purple and orange (customary)
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 United States Political parties

The Working Families Party (WFP) is a left-leaning smaller political party in the United States. It was started in New York in 1998. The party now has active groups in many states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

The Working Families Party of New York was first formed in 1998. It was created by a group of labor unions, community groups, and other advocacy organizations. The party cares about things like making healthcare better, raising the minimum wage, and ensuring everyone has paid sick days. They also focus on student debt, fair taxes, public education, and protecting the environment. The WFP often supports candidates from the Democratic Party who share their ideas. Sometimes, they even support some Republican candidates. They do this through a system called fusion voting, which lets a candidate appear on more than one party's ballot line. Occasionally, the WFP also runs its own candidates.

How the Working Families Party Started

Dan Cantor, who worked for Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign, and Joel Rogers wrote a book called Party Time. In this book, they suggested creating a "party within the party." Cantor and Rogers then formed the New Party in 1990. They wanted to use a system called electoral fusion to help their candidates.

By 1997, the New Party was losing support. So, in 1998, Dan Cantor and others from the New Party and community groups started the Working Families Party. 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 also formed by similar groups.

What the Working Families Party Believes In

The WFP follows the ideas of progressive politics. This means they believe in making society better by supporting social and economic changes. They describe themselves as a "grassroots independent political organization." This means they get their power from regular people, not just big leaders. Some people have even called the WFP the "Tea Party of the left." This comparison means they are a strong voice for left-leaning ideas, much like the Tea Party was for right-leaning ideas.

How the Working Families Party 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 Democrats. If the WFP supports a candidate, that candidate's name can appear on both the Democratic line and the WFP line on the ballot. This helps voters who like the WFP's ideas to vote for a candidate without feeling like their vote is "wasted." It also shows how much support a candidate has from different groups.

Most of the time, the WFP supports Democratic Party candidates. But sometimes, they support moderate Republican Party candidates. They do this to encourage both parties to work together on issues that the WFP cares about.

Sometimes, the WFP runs its own candidates. For example, in 2003, Letitia James ran for the New York City Council on the WFP ticket. She won, becoming the first third-party candidate elected in her district in 30 years. Even though she later joined the Democratic Party, her win showed that the WFP could elect its own members.

Some important politicians the WFP has supported include Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy and US Senators Chris Murphy and Jeff Merkley. They have also supported former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and current New York Attorney General Letitia James. In 2015, Edwin Gomes became the first person to win a state legislative office in the US running only as a WFP candidate. In 2017, Joshua M. Hall also won a state legislative office in Connecticut solely as a WFP candidate.

Important Campaigns and Endorsements

Early Years (1990s-2000s)

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. This was a big step for the party. In 2000, Patricia Eddington of the WFP was elected to the New York State Assembly.

In 2006, the WFP started working to get on the ballot in other states like California, Delaware, and Oregon. They also continued to support Democratic candidates in New York.

Growing Influence (2010s)

In 2010, the WFP supported Andrew Cuomo for Governor of New York. He received many votes on the WFP line, showing the party's growing influence. In Connecticut, the WFP helped Dannel Malloy win the governor's race. His votes on the WFP line helped secure the party's place on the ballot in that state.

In 2012, the WFP helped Chris Murphy win a US Senate seat in Connecticut. They also worked to stop a plan in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that would have gotten rid of the elected school board.

In 2015, the WFP made its first national endorsement, supporting Bernie Sanders for U.S. president. After Hillary Clinton became the Democratic nominee in 2016, the WFP endorsed her for president.

In 2018, the WFP supported Cynthia Nixon for New York governor. This caused some discussion within the party. Later, the WFP agreed to support Andrew Cuomo to keep their spot on the ballot. Also in 2018, WFP candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley made history. She was the first woman to get approval to use campaign money to pay for child care costs while running for office.

In 2019, the WFP endorsed Elizabeth Warren for president. When she left the race, they again endorsed Bernie Sanders. In November 2019, Kendra Brooks won a seat on the Philadelphia City Council as a WFP candidate. This was the first time in 40 years that someone not from the Democratic or Republican party won one of these special seats.

Recent Years (2020s)

In 2020, after Elizabeth Warren left the presidential race, the WFP again endorsed Bernie Sanders. Later, they endorsed Joe Biden for president.

In 2021, the WFP supported Maya Wiley for mayor in the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary.

In 2022, the WFP started a chapter in California. They named Jane Kim, a former San Francisco Supervisor, as its leader.

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 council. This means the Working Families Party now has two members on the Philadelphia City Council.

Who Leads the Working Families Party

The Working Families Party has leaders in different states. Some of the state directors include Sochie Nnaemeka in New York and Jane Kim in California. The national director for the WFP is Maurice Mitchell.

Important Elected Officials from WFP

Here are some notable people who won elections only on the Working Families Party ballot line:

See also

In Spanish: Partido de Familias Trabajadoras para niños

• Union organizer