NY-26: Working Families Party To Back Kryzan, But Powers Will Be On The Ballot
by Matt at Sep 10th, 2008
Earlier I posted an email Jon Powers sent to supporters where he said “as we are still on the ballot as the nominee for the Working Families Party, my family and team are currently deciding how best to proceed.” Well, it appears that the Working Families Party, which was so extraordinarily effective in getting out the vote for Jon Powers yesterday, will be backing Kryzan, even though Jon Powers name will be on the ballot on the WFP line.
A spokesman for the Working Families Party in New York said the party will work to elect Democratic nominee Alice Kryzan in the 26th congressional district, despite the fact that Iraq veteran Jon Powers will be the Working Families nominee.
Kryzan stunned Powers and 2006 nominee Jack Davis in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, winning with 42 percent of the vote. But Powers, who received national Democratic backing for his run, was unopposed for the Working Families nomination.
That creates a troubling situation for Democrats, with two of their candidates on the general-election ballot and potentially splitting votes in a swing district.
A Working Families official said Wednesday that the party could not legally remove Powers from the ballot, but that it would back Kryzan.
“I’m sure we’ll support Alice’s campaign,” the official said. “I don’t think there was ever any talk of doing the third-party thing. We play to win.”
So, it appears that the Working Families Party has made the decision for Powers. He’ll be on the ballot no matter what, so I don’t think we’ll see him continue to campaign if the pro-union Working Families Party has jumped off the Jon Powers ship.
In other words, Jon Powers needs to go to Kinkos, make a few dozen copies of his resumé, and start looking for a job.