A progressive Democrat organization is mulling a petition that would strip Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown of his position on the Democratic National Committee after his write-in campaign successfully defeated self-proclaimed democratic socialist India Walton.
According to a report from Politico, Our Revolution, a progressive advocacy group aligned with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), is planning to organize a campaign to oust Brown after the incumbent won his election against Walton.
Supported by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and formally endorsed by both Democratic New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Walton won the low-turnout June primary by nearly 5 points. But Brown organized a write-in campaign that appealed to moderate Democrats, as well as Republicans, who did not have a candidate on the ballot, and won his fifth consecutive term as mayor. “I think it clearly is a rebuke of defund police. It is a rebuke of socialism,” Brown told CNN after his win, via Politico.
“When you pull a stunt like this, somebody wins a primary, a working-class woman, and you go to every rich donor in both parties to fund a write-in campaign … it’s a disgrace,” said Our Revolution chairman Larry Cohen. Cohen is a member of the DNC, and told Politico he is starting the campaign. Walton vociferously agreed. “Not only do I support the DNC revoking Byron Brown’s post; I believe it would set a dangerous precedent not to,” she told Politico in a statement.
“You’ve got the establishment Democratic Party trying to block the path forward for progressives, and it’s incredibly challenging and frustrating for the grassroots,” said Joseph Geevarghese, Our Revolution’s executive director.
The left-wing Working Families Party also threw their support behind Our Revolution’s campaign. “I will try to organize something, and so will a lot of other people,” Cohen said. But the progressives were pessimistic about the chances of actually accomplishing their goal. “You’re not likely going to see [Chairman] Jaime Harrison at the DNC or anybody at the White House … do one thing,” said Cohen.
“Mayor Byron Brown’s Democratic Party bona fides are well known and beyond reproach,” Brown’s campaign said in a statement. “Any questions of them by Bernie Sanders or India Walton are without merit, and are simply sour grapes following a decisive write-in defeat in the Buffalo mayoral election last week.”
Party insiders concurred. “This, to me, sounds like another case of sour grapes out of Our Revolution,” said Democratic strategist Jon Reinish. “I think that progressives are feeling cornered, which is why you’re seeing a lot of the lashing out. … Where Democrats did badly and it was a bad night [in last week’s election], a lot of it was a loud and clear message from voters that people feel the party is going too far to the left.”
“It’s not going to go anywhere,” New York State Democratic Party Jay Jacobs said. “I’m used to people throwing bombs, and fortunately, most times they are to no effect.”
Brown’s win was one of a series of democratic losses that signal nationwide discontent with the progressive agenda. “Defund the Police” campaigns were struck down by voters in cities across the country. Former NYPD officer Eric Adams won his mayoral race running on a moderate, pro-police platform. In addition, Republicans swept the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general races in Virginia, and flipped the Virginia House of Delegates. New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli also took his race to the wire, nearly defeating incumbent governor Phil Murphy.