ALBANY – State Democrats Push Bill for Party Control
State Democrats are rushing forward with a bill aimed at enhancing party leaders’ authority to expel members. This comes in response to a situation where Republicans claimed the Democrats were stumbling because they couldn’t compete effectively.
The legislation, designed to empower state parties to act against members more freely, emerged after Democrat Mondaire Jones suffered a notable defeat against Rep. Mike Lawler. He lost the Liberal Working Family Party (WFP) line to candidates seen as spoilers, which, let’s be honest, was a pretty embarrassing loss.
Interestingly, WFP member Anthony Frascone, who previously identified as a Republican and didn’t campaign, managed to snag the WFP line away from Jones. He was encouraged to run without any significant backing or apparent intention to genuinely represent the constituents in New York’s 17th Congressional District, which has parts of Westchester and Rockland counties.
Frascone is expected to receive around 2% of the vote, while Jones, the primary candidate, lost around 6% in what’s considered a competitive race.
According to a memo accompanying the bill, he did not conduct any real campaign or outreach. It raises questions—did he ever intend to truly represent the needs of the voters?
Requests for comments from a spokesperson for Harckham went unanswered.
Currently, local county party committees alone can initiate the eviction of voters, but the WFP lacks a local county party structure.
One Democratic member noted, “We had this grey area, and it felt, well, somewhat vague. We could be seen as trying to drive someone out of the party, but without the backing of a county organization, it was complicated.”
The bill is set to be voted on Tuesday by the Senate, but its overall fate in the state legislature remains uncertain as the session draws to a close.
One Democratic senator indicated that the bill seemed to respond to requests from the WFP. A spokesperson for WFP argued that this change would allow all political parties to function effectively without the financial and logistical burdens of establishing a county-level committee.
Yet, critics from other parties have lambasted the initiative, alleging it’s a blatant power grab by the WFP. Mike Lawler pointed out the irony of a democratic party stripping rights from voters who disagree with them in a statement, calling the action undemocratic.
David Laska, a spokesperson for the Republicans, labeled the provision as a reaction to sour grapes. He claimed that after years of advocating for democracy, the Democrats appear to be actively seeking to stifle voters’ voices under the pretense of reform.
The Conservative Party is scratching its head over this proposed shift. Gerald Cusser, the Chairman, conveyed skepticism about granting political parties more power over their memberships.
