A statewide progressive party Friday announced it is endorsing Mayor Toni Harp’s reelection campaign — meaning she has a guaranteed ballot line in the Nov. 5 general election.
The endorsement came from Connecticut’s chapter of the nationwide Working Families Party, which cross-endorses left-leaning Democrats and provides them with a separate ballot line in general elections.
In a release announcing the endorsement, state party Executive Director Lindsay Farrell credited Harp with making New Haven “a model for what an innovative, vibrant, inclusive city can become” during her three two-year terms as New Haven’s first female mayor.
“New Haven is experiencing an economic boom, attracting new startups and residential development. Mayor Harp’s administration has worked to ensure that the benefits of this prosperity go beyond the glass towers and condos downtown, benefiting everyone in the city. Mayor Harp has made education a priority, dramatically improving high school graduation rates and test scores. Innovative police reforms have cut crime rates by 50 per cent. New Haven is a national leader in livable city initiatives, complete streets, bike paths, and reclaiming car-centric streets back to pedestrians,” the release quotes Farrell as saying.
“These efforts have required a strong administration focused on putting the needs of residents ahead of developers and speculators, working to improve education, policing, and public services.”
Harp faces a challenge by Justin Elicker in a Sept. 10 Democratic primary. Elicker successfully petitioned to have his name appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot as well on an unaffiliated line.
The Working Families Party won a line on New Haven’s municipal ballot thanks to a 2017 mayoral campaign by organizer Sarah Ganong. That means Harp, as the endorsed mayoral candidate this year, would have her name on the ballot on that line on Nov. 5.
Harp was asked Friday if the endorsement means she will pursue a general election campaign no matter the outcome of the Democratic primary. (Unlike Elicker, she did not petition for an unaffiliated line on the ballot.)
“Now I’m focused on winning the Democratic primary,” Harp responded, via text message. “I am honored to receive the Working Families endorsement. Throughout my political life, I’ve fought for policies that improve the lives of workers. This endorsement validates my body of work.”