John,
Been busy? No worries! Your WFP newsletter is here to get you up to date on what you might have missed in our movement this month.
Keep reading for updates from the State of the Union to cultural organizing to a major win for our democracy and more.
The Working Families Party 2024 State of the Union Response
WFP champion and Philadelphia City Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke delivered our 2024 State of the Union Response last month.
Nic’s speech helped us make meaning of what is happening right now in U.S. politics, laid out our vision for the nation we’re trying to build together, and shared our political strategy for 2024, including how we can block MAGA extremists and build working-class power nationwide.
.png "Screencap from the 2024 WFP State of the Union Response")
“We all face obstacles. Wages that aren’t keeping up with rising costs, and a political system built for your boss instead of for you. The wealthy are few, but they are powerful. Because, they pit us against each other along traditional lines of race and nationality. They convince us we’re in a battle — a battle with other people, who are trying to make a living, just like you and I. They hoard the resources for themselves and then they buy politicians to protect what they’ve extracted from us.
I got into organizing and politics because it doesn’t have to be that way. I believe we can do better. We have a moral obligation to do better.
And, we do that by building governing power for working people.”
Click here to watch the full speech in English, Spanish, or with ASL interpretation, or read Nic’s remarks here.
LAUNCHING: The Reject AIPAC coalition
The Working Families Party and more than 20 other progressive groups and allies have created the Reject AIPAC coalition, to demand that Democratic elected officials and candidates reject the right-wing American Israel Public Affairs Committee and their Republican megadonors once and for all.
Watch the coalition’s new ad with Wallace Shawn to learn more:
.png "Screencap from Reject AIPAC ad showing two protestors with a sign saying")
For years, AIPAC has supported extremist MAGA Republicans, including those who tried to overturn the 2020 election. Now, they plan to spend at least $100 million in Democratic primaries to punish and unseat progressive champions who support a ceasefire to save lives in Gaza.
Our WFP allies in Congress are their top targets.
To help our coalition fight back against AIPAC and defeat their Republican-funded candidates in Democratic primaries, pitch in now.
WFP’s Politics House makes Rolling Stone’s “Best of SXSW” list
WFP showed up and showed out at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival, hosting The Politics House and making Rolling Stone’s “best of” list for the second year in a row!
We joined artists and activists to discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time — including Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza and the 2024 presidential election — and celebrated the community and movement that we’re building together.
During the event, WFP National Director Maurice Mitchell joined a live episode of the Toure Show podcast with other special guests. Listen to what they had to say about the future of our country here.
A historic lawsuit ends a corrupt NJ political system
In a massive win for democracy, a federal judge struck down New Jersey’s unique ballot line system that has long given the state’s political elite the power to hand-pick primary winners.
Unlike the rest of the country, New Jersey’s primary ballots have been designed to feature county party-endorsed candidates in one column and place their less-preferred candidates far off to the side, significantly hurting their chances at the polls.
The New Jersey Working Families Party has been fighting this system for years and filed a lawsuit against the practice in 2020.
Check out NJWFP State Director Antoinette Miles front-and-center in the New York Times!
Now, a federal judge has ruled in a separate lawsuit to end the system and force New Jersey election officials to use the same system as the rest of the country — listing primary candidates for the same race in a single list in randomized order, giving every candidate a fair shot.
NJWFP State Director Antoinette Miles told CNN: “County party bosses and clerks will no longer be able to unconstitutionally design ballots meant to elect favored candidates and party insiders… Candidates will now be answerable to voters at the ballot box — not corporate special interests who control the awarding of the line.”
Election results in Wisconsin and New York
Voters went to the polls in Wisconsin and New York earlier this month, and we’re so proud of what we accomplished.
Volunteers sent over 200,000 texts and made over 20,000 calls on behalf of our Wisconsin endorsed candidates and ballot referendums. More than half of our candidates won, flipping both the Fitchburg and Green Bay City Councils! We also passed a referendum funding Milwaukee schools to invest in our future.
New York held its Democratic presidential primary election, and the NYWFP encouraged voters to submit a blank ballot to show their support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the safe return of hostages, and emergency humanitarian aid to those facing starvation. Nearly 40,000 New Yorkers went to the polls to do so, showing the strength of the movement for peace in Gaza.
Read the op-ed in the NY Daily News from our NYWFP co-directors for more info on why we supported the “leave it blank” campaign:
“In an election year when our democracy is on the line, we must resist despair and hopelessness and instead lean into the opportunities that our democracy offers. Voters in New York can follow the example of hundreds of thousands of voters in states like Michigan, Minnesota, Washington, and Massachusetts who have used “uncommitted votes” as a tactic to pressure the president to correct course… To borrow some wisdom from Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell, the successful uncommitted campaigns around the country have been “a gift for Joe Biden.” That is, if the president is willing to heed their message. With seven months to go until the election, Biden has the opportunity to lay out a morally grounded vision for the country that restores voters’ faith in his leadership and unifies his coalition.”
WFP Director Maurice Mitchell also spoke with the New York Times about how the ceasefire movement has grown:
“Maybe there was an idea that over time, the movement would lose steam, or it was just like a campus thing or it was like a far-left sort of protest movement… The opposite is happening as the humanitarian toll becomes so clear.”
Activist spotlight on Ebony Hollingsworth
My name is Ebony Hollingsworth. I've been an organizer for 8 years. I found a political home within WFP about 3 1/2 years ago. It's amazing to be a part of a party that is truly for the working people. Through the National Team I've had the opportunity to connect to voters in states I've never been to. Also to be a part of the history that was made in Pennsylvania. It has been a passion of mine to educate individuals on the importance of local elections. The Bronx Chapter of WFP has given me the opportunity to do just that locally. As the Outreach Chair for The Bronx Chapter, I've gotten to actively be involved in the process. Endorsement interviews, rallies, R.A.C. meetings, petitioning, and more. I'm truly grateful for the experiences I've had as part of WFP.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday Text Party
Help support our candidates at a WFP virtual text party this Tuesday, April 16 at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT! Our organizers and volunteer leaders will support you as you use our easy program to text voters on behalf of WFP champions across the country. This month, we’ll be texting for Mike Schmidt for Multnomah County DA in Oregon, and our congressional Squad members! Sign up for the text party here.
RSVP now
WFP Welcome Gathering
Next Thursday, April 18 at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, join us for our monthly Welcome Gathering! These monthly calls are your opportunity — whether you’re new to the WFP or a long-time supporter — to hear directly from our staff and activists on the country and the party we’re building together. Click here to RSVP now.
RSVP now
May Community Reunion
Our community reunions are a chance to deep dive into the work that we’re doing and the issues that our movement is tackling. Next month, on Wednesday, May 18 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, we’ll be discussing the very real rise in antisemitism, as well as how it gets instrumentalized by the right to drive a wedge in our movements, repress movements for justice in Palestine, and impact our elections. Will we see you there?
RSVP now
Thank you for reading, John!
With primaries right around the corner, we’re asking you to pitch in $10 or whatever you can to help fuel our organizing and defeat the right-wing and corporate influences trying to take over our elections. Can you make a contribution today?
Pitch in
In solidarity,
Team WFP
