The working-class party is winning primaries in toss-up districts on a populist message

After decades of success running and winning in purple districts in states like New York and Connecticut, the Working Families Party is bringing its brand of working-class populist politics to some of the highest-profile swing districts in the country.

In May, WFP-backed unionists Bob Brooks (PA-7) and Brian Poindexter (OH-7) won their primaries in Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. This was followed by Randy Villegas’s earthquake over establishment favorite, Jasmeet Bains, in California’s Central Valley (CA-22). Now, the Party can add Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-Sen) to the growing list of WFP-backed candidates winning grueling primaries in purple seats.

“Voters are tired of politics as usual. They want fighters who will stand up to the billionaires and corporations that are making life unaffordable for all of us,” said Amirah Sequeira, Federal Affairs Director for the Working Families Party. “The Working Families Party has been winning tough races for decades, and now we’re bringing that winning strategy to swing districts across the country.”

WFP-backed Donavan McKinney (MI-13) also defeated Rep. Shri Thanedar in Detroit. And while a deep blue district, voters in Detroit will be crucial to winning Michigan in November.

Widely-circulated research from the Working Families Party demonstrates that swing voters in the midterms—including moderates and independent voters—are looking for candidates who promise to change a broken political system, not simply manage it.

“The calculus for winning in a swing district has changed, and candidates who can show their independence from corporate donors and party elites will be in the strongest position to win in November,” said Sequeira.

In critical swing districts, the Party has broken with the Democratic establishment and taken a sharper line on issues like hyperscale data centers, taxing corporations and billionaires, and rooting out political corruption in both parties.

BACKGROUND:

• The WFP won a trifecta in Michigan on Tuesday, with Abdul El-Sayed, Will Lawrence, and Donavan McKinney all claiming victory. All three candidates have a long history of partnership with the WFP.

• This federal cycle is the first since the establishment of the WFP’s Michigan chapter.

• These wins join a growing list of victories for the WFP at a state and federal level this cycle, including in California, Colorado, DC, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.