For Immediate Release: September 9, 2008
Party Helps Guide Insurgent Candidate With Blue-Collar Roots Through Tough Race
Western New York – The Working Families Party celebrated today Joe Mesi’s victory in the Democratic Primary, calling the insurgent candidate a “fighter for Western New York.”
“Joe Mesi knows the problems facing middle class families in Western New York because he’s one of us,” said Sam Williams, Working Families Party Co-Chair and UAW Region 9A CAP Director. “We put everything we had into this race. We knocked on tens of thousands of doors, made thousands of phone calls and engaged hundreds of volunteers in the campaign. This was an exciting grassroots process every step of the way.”
“For too long, politicians have done nothing as family-supporting jobs have left Western New York and as our children have had to leave the community they grew up in just to start their careers. Joe Mesi’s campaign is about finding creative solutions, like investment in green-collar jobs, to make our economy work for all of us again,” added Williams.
“The WFP was with me all they way,” said an excited Joe Mesi. “With their help, we were able to reach out to thousands of Western New Yorkers and build a broad coalition to fight for good jobs and economic development, to bring real reform to defeat the special interests in Albany, and to jump start the investment in higher education that is so important to our community’s future. I can’t wait to continue our hard work together from now through November.”
From now until the November 4th general election, the WFP will redouble its efforts on behalf of the Mesi for State Senate Campaign. Sam Williams added: “Today is just the beginning. We’re going to talk to tens of thousands of voters about our campaign for good jobs and investment in education because Albany must change.”
The Working Families Party’s renowned field operation has helped push insurgent State Senate candidates over the top before, playing big roles in Sen. Darrel Aubertine’s shocking upset in a heavily Republican district (SD 48) in the North Country this past February and in Craig Johnson’s successful campaign to become the only Senate Democrat on Long Island (SD 7) in 2007.
The WFP received 155,184 votes for Eliot Spitzer in 2006 on its ballot line – “Row E.”
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