COMMON-SENSE PROGRESSIVE PARTY IMPROVES ITS BALLOT POSITION WITH BEST SHOWING EVER
Official 2010 election results certified by the New York State Board of Elections on Monday show that the Working Families Party had its best showing in any statewide election in its 12-year history, and will move up the ballot from line "E" to line "D."
Senator Charles Schumer was the party's top vote-getter ever, receiving 183,707 votes, or 4% of all votes cast on Election Day – joining Tom DiNapoli, Eric Schneiderman, and Kirsten Gillibrand in breaking 4% of the total statewide vote on the WFP line for the first time. (These four candidates received even more WFP votes than Barack Obama in the 2008 election.)
"These results show that, no matter what politicians or pundits say, middle- and working-class New Yorkers are thrilled about a party that focuses on common-sense, progressive solutions to our biggest challenges," WFP Co-Chair Karen Scharff said.
The Board of Elections' final, certified 2010 voting results show the following:
1. The WFP received 154,847 votes for Andrew Cuomo on its line, 8,201 more than the Independence Party, moving it up the ballot from line "E" to line "D." (The Conservative Party will occupy line "C.")
2. Both in terms of raw vote totals and percentage of the overall vote, the WFP received more votes on its line for statewide candidates than in any previous election. WFP voters accounted for more than 4% of total turnout for the first time in the party's 12-year history.
"These results show that, no matter what politicians or pundits say, middle- and working-class New Yorkers are thrilled about a party that focuses on common-sense, progressive solutions to our biggest challenges," WFP Co-Chair Karen Scharff said.
The Board of Elections' final, certified 2010 voting results show the following:
1. The WFP received 154,847 votes for Andrew Cuomo on its line, 8,201 more than the Independence Party, moving it up the ballot from line "E" to line "D." (The Conservative Party will occupy line "C.")
2. Both in terms of raw vote totals and percentage of the overall vote, the WFP received more votes on its line for statewide candidates than in any previous election. WFP voters accounted for more than 4% of total turnout for the first time in the party's 12-year history.
3. 183,707 New Yorkers voted for Charles Schumer on the Working Families Party line, more than have voted WFP for any other candidate since the party's creation. (158,891 voted WFP for Obama in ’08; 155,184 voted WFP for Spitzer in ’06; and 51, 325 voted for Peter Vallone in the party’s 1998 inaugural election.)
4. WFP voters also turned out strongly for Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (182,983 WFP votes), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (182,648), and Attorney General-elect Eric Schneiderman (178,850), each of whom also received more than 4% of all votes cast in their races from the WFP line.
5. In New York City, the Working Families Party was the third largest vote-getter of any party, receiving nearly half as many votes as the Republican Party, and more than double the vote of any other minor party. (The WFP vote total in NYC, 76,953, was 42% of the Republican vote in the city.)
6. The WFP received 50% of its votes from Upstate New York and the suburbs of New York City, and 50% from NYC. Especially strong growth in WFP turnout occurred in Suffolk County and the Hudson Valley.
4. WFP voters also turned out strongly for Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (182,983 WFP votes), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (182,648), and Attorney General-elect Eric Schneiderman (178,850), each of whom also received more than 4% of all votes cast in their races from the WFP line.
5. In New York City, the Working Families Party was the third largest vote-getter of any party, receiving nearly half as many votes as the Republican Party, and more than double the vote of any other minor party. (The WFP vote total in NYC, 76,953, was 42% of the Republican vote in the city.)
6. The WFP received 50% of its votes from Upstate New York and the suburbs of New York City, and 50% from NYC. Especially strong growth in WFP turnout occurred in Suffolk County and the Hudson Valley.
7. The WFP achieved these impressive results on a shoestring budget, spending just 1/8 of what the party spent in the 2006 election to contact and mobilize voters.
WFP Executive Director Dan Cantor was not all smiles, however. “Another 16,293 votes and Matt Damon would’ve put on that Yankees cap for us, and that would have been sweet.”
Cantor was referring to the video challenge made by actor/activist Matt Damon about his willingness – even though a lifelong Red Sox fan – to wear a Yankees cap should the WFP crack the 200,000 vote barrier in this election.
“There’s always next year,” said the downtrodden Mr. Cantor.
