AG candidate spurns Working Families ballot line

ALBANY — New York City Public Advocate Letitia James won't seek the ballot line of the liberal Working Families Party in her campaign for New York attorney general, a spokeswoman confirmed.

"Public Advocate James is focused on earning the Democratic nomination and bringing her capabilities, experience and passion to the Attorney General's office," said James' spokeswoman Delaney Kempner.

The news was first reported by the New York Times.

On its face, James' declination is shocking: In 2003, she became the first candidate in New York City political history to win election running solely on the third-party ballot line of the WFP, winning an election to replace ex-Brooklyn Councilman James Davis, who months earlier had been assassinated by a political rival.

But James has faced pressure in recent days: the New York Times reported earlier this week that James had told multiple people that Gov. Andrew Cuomo was urging her not to take the WFP line. The WFP spurned Cuomo this year in its endorsement for governor and instead backed actress Cynthia Nixon.

Kempner, the James spokeswoman, did not answer a question from the Times Union about whether James was declining to take the WFP line in exchange for getting Cuomo's support for her AG bid.

Cuomo is speaking to attorney general candidates this week, and may endorse one, he said on Sunday.

The WFP convention, where it will endorse for AG, is taking place on Saturday, while the state Democratic convention begins May 23.

With James out of the running, one likely candidate for the WFP nomination for AG is law professor Zephyr Teachout, who ran for governor against Cuomo in 2014. Teachout also has close ties with the WFP's current nominee for governor, Cynthia Nixon, serving as campaign treasurer.

James' decision strengthens the possibility that she will run with the support of Cuomo. She is kicking off her AG campaign this afternoon in Brooklyn.

While her politics lean to the left of Cuomo's, as public advocate she has tussled at times with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is in a long-running feud with Cuomo. And James running a strong AG campaign, especially if she is allied with Cuomo, could bring votes for the governor in minority neighborhoods in New York City that have been electoral bulwarks for Cuomo in the past, but which Nixon is courting.

At one point, James had been floated as a running mate for Cuomo as lieutenant governor. Cuomo now appears likely to stick with his current LG, Kathy Hochul.

On Wednesday afternoon, leadership of the Working Families Party released a statement slamming Cuomo for reportedly urging James, who is black, not to take the party's endorsement.

"It is nothing short of outrageous to see Andrew Cuomo demand Tish James jump through hoops that he would never ask a white man to do," the WFP leaders said. "He is telling her to reject the party where she got her start, and refuse the WFP's support, which could be critical in both the primary and general elections. Meanwhile, he is helping elect Republicans to Congress by running on the Independence Party line.

"This is part of a disgraceful pattern, just like when he kept white male Republican leadership in the State Senate instead of supporting Andrea Stewart Cousin's leadership," they continued. ""In King Andrew's New York, everyone else is a political pawn."

The statement was signed by Afua Atta-Mensah of Community Voices Heard Power, Karen Scharff of Citizen Action of New York, Javier Valdes of Make the Road Action and Jonathan Westin of New York Communities for Change.

Other possible strong candidates for attorney general include former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (who reportedly may run as an independent), Queens state Sen. Mike Gianaris, and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, who reportedly believes he could run in the Democratic primary, despite legal questions about whether he could also be on the ballot for Congress.

The whirlwind of political activity comes after ex-AG Eric Schneiderman resigned last week, hours after the New Yorker reported allegations that he physically and verbally assaulted multiple women.