Will the Working Families Party prove itself to be just like the rest of New York’s minor parties — a patronage mill masquerading as a principled alternative?
We may find out today when party leaders gather in Albany to decide whether they will put forward a candidate for governor who truly reflects their leftist agenda, or simply hand their ballot line over to incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The WFP initially eyed Diane Ravitch, a onetime education reformer who has since become an ally of the teachers unions and a harsh critic of charter schools. The virtue of a Ravitch pick is it would have done what third parties are meant to do: force the major parties into a real debate on issues they the minor parties deem vital, in this case the future of charters and school choice.
But Ravitch says she’s not running. The party now appears to be moving behind Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout. But it gets even more complicated, with rumors the governor is pushing both Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli to decline the WFP line.
Another rumor has WFP co-founder Bill de Blasio arguing to put Cuomo on the ballot. Some believe that if Gov. Cuomo does not get the WFP ballot line, he has an interest in encouraging a devastating split in the party.
In the principles it advocates, we find little to agree with in the Working Families Party. But if the WFP really intends to stand an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans, it ought to act like one — and put forward its own candidate.