Days after the Working Families Party rescinded its endorsement of Scott Stringer following an allegation of sexual misconduct by a former campaign volunteer, the progressive group has issued a dual endorsement of civil-rights attorney Maya Wiley and education advocate Dianne Morales.
“At this moment in the race, we believe the best role for the party is to unite progressives around these two powerful progressive women and to ensure the city is in the best hands possible to rebuild and reimagine a city that works for all of us,” reads a statement delivered on Wednesday.
In mid-April, the party issued a ranked-choice endorsement for New York City’s first ranked-choice election, with comptroller Scott Stringer in first, followed by Morales and Wiley. But after a former volunteer named Jean Kim alleged that Stringer had groped her in 2001 and promised to provide her with a role as a local district leader in exchange for sex, the WFP dropped its co-sign — as did many in a coalition of politicians and progressive groups that Stringer spent years assembling.
“We are deeply committed to building a city and a state where all New Yorkers are safe from sexual misconduct and survivors are supported in speaking out,” a WFP statement from last week read. “Jean Kim shared her experience of sexual assault, and Scott Stringer failed to acknowledge and consider his responsibility for that harm.” (Stringer has denied any wrongdoing and has claimed that the two were in a consensual relationship. On Tuesday, an investigation published by the Intercept found that the two had met prior to 2001, the year Kim claims as the year in which they were introduced. While Kim has denied that the two were ever in a consensual relationship, a mutual friend told the outlet that the two were involved in a “more-than-friends relationship.”) On Tuesday, Kim filed an official complaint with Attorney General Letitia James requesting that her office investigate her allegations against Stringer.
While the Working Families co-endorsement could be a boost for the two candidates who have struggled to break into the double digits in surveys conducted so far, a 500-voter poll released on Wednesday showed a disturbance among the front-runners, as Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams surged ahead with 21 percent of the support, followed by Andrew Yang at 18 percent, and Scott Stringer at 15 percent. While the limited data suggests that Stringer’s support has not evaporated along with his endorsements, the fact that Adams has yet to spend any of his $7.9 million in campaign funds on TV ads suggests that he may have even more room to consolidate the moderate vote.
