Questionnaire Available Online<\/p>\n
(Utica, NY \u2013 May 2014) The Working Families Party recently announced the beginning of its annual endorsement process with the release of its online candidate questionnaire.\u00a0 Hundreds of candidates for local office around New York are expected to vie for the progressive third party\u2019s endorsement.\u00a0 The local chapter located in Utica is seeking candidates from Oneida, Herkimer, Madison (Eastern portion), and Lewis counties. \u00a0In 2014, candidates will run for New York State Legislature, county, local, and judicial elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to know where every candidate, whether they\u2019re running for State Assembly or County Legislature, stands on the issues that matter to Working Families,\u201d said John Furman of the Herkimer \u2013 Oneida Counties Chapter of the Working Families Party (WFP).\u00a0 \u201cThe questionnaire gets at the heart of the Working Families Party\u2019s priorities: \u00a0health care for all, paid sick leave, clean elections, green jobs, affordable housing, and living wage jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candidates must complete the questionnaire, which can only be done on the WFP\u2019s website, by\u00a0May 21.\u00a0 Afterward, candidates are screened by Working Families Party Chapters around the state.<\/p>\n
Founded in\u00a0New York\u00a0State 1998, the Working Families Party has organizations in seven states and is swiftly expanding.\u00a0More than 60 community organizations and labor unions in New York have affiliated with the Working Families Party, representing more than 1 million members. In the 2011 election, the Working Families Party provided the margin of victory for Mayor Robert Palmieri of Utica.<\/p>\n
In the 2012 election, 241,531 New Yorkers voted for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on the WFP line, making it the leading third party vote-earner in the state\u2019s U.S. Senate race. WFP voters also provided the margin of victory for Rep. Bill Owens in the North Country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Working Families Party was founded 11 years by a coalition of grassroots activists, labor unions, and community groups,\u201d continued Furman. \u00a0\u201cThe goal of Working Families Party is to more forcefully inject the issues of working-class, middle-class, and poor people\u2014like jobs, health care, education and housing\u2014into the public debate, and hold candidates and elected officials accountable on those issues.\u00a0 The Working Families Party is working now on enacting fair elections in New York State and opposing budget cuts to important federal services and programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The questionnaire, which is a requirement for screening, can be found at:<\/p>\n