Working Families Party makes early endorsements

Source: NY1

The left-leaning New York Working Families Party ditched a longtime political ally Tuesday by endorsing an insurgent state Senate candidate — while also sending a message to moderate Gov. Kathy Hochul ahead of her 2026 reelection.

The party voted to back Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas over State Sen. Jessica Ramos in the Democratic primary for state Senate District 13 covering the Queens neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights.

Although Ramos ran with the WFP’s blessing since 2018, sponsoring pro-worker and immigrant legislation as the powerful State Senate Labor Committee chair, her relationship began to fray before her failed mayoral primary run. 

“She has very much bruised, if not really damaged, some of her relationships with parts of our coalition, in part because of [the mayoral primary]. But I would say, even before that,” said WFP co-director Ana Maria Archila in a phone interview with NY1.

“This is really not just about the mayoral race,” she added.

Ramos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"This endorsement is about what we can accomplish together: standing up for immigrants, tenants, workers, and families who too often get left behind, and proving that progressive values and effective governing go hand in hand," Gonzalez-Rojas said in a statement.

The WFP also endorsed public defender Eli Northrup in his run for Assemblyman Michah Lasher's seat in state Assembly District 69 on the Upper West Side. 

Energized by Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s success — who cast his vote for himself on the WFP’s ballot line — the minor third party is telegraphing to politicians facing primaries and on the ballot next June, to take note of their message. 

“Our normal endorsement process actually usually kicks off with interviews in January,” she said. “We are accelerating the endorsement timeline because it is important for the party to kind of assert a point of view,” Archila said. 

Last weekend, the party held a meeting for statewide candidates in Queens, including lieutenant governor-turned gubernatorial candidate Antonio Delgado, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and several challengers seeking to unseat him. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul had a conflict, but will meet with party leaders within the first few weeks of January, according to Archila. 

“She has a tremendous opportunity. Obviously, the way that her state of the state, and especially her executive budget, what she puts in her executive budget, will be the measure — one of the main ways that we assess whether or not the governor is actually serious about meeting the affordability crisis with real solutions, right?” she said, adding her ability to deliver a universal childcare plan will also play a role in their decision.

But Hochul opposes the WFP’s support for raising taxes on wealthy earners and has drawn their ire on a host of environmental policies, like missing deadlines tied to the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and approving the application for a new natural gas pipeline to be built through the tri-state area.

The party endorsed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in 2022 in his failed bid against Hochul, but backed her after she won the primary.

Hochul is leading Delgado by 43 points, according to a new Siena University poll.

“Our campaign is working to earn the support of each and every New Yorker, and lay the statewide groundwork necessary for Democratic wins up and down the ballot. Gov. Hochul looks forward to working with the Working Families Party to keep lowering costs for New Yorkers and making our state more affordable for every family,” Hochul campaign spokesman Ryan Radulovacki told NY1 in a statement.