Campaign

Kryzan gains third-party backing against Lee

by Michael O’Brien - 10/06/08 7:01 PM ET

Democrat Alice Kryzan will receive the nomination of the Working Families Party (WFP) of New York after its previous candidate moved out of state, potentially giving her a vital boost against Republican Chris Lee in retiring Rep. Tom Reynolds’s (R) district.

The WFP had nominated Democrat Jon Powers for the seat before he was upset by Kryzan in the Democratic primary. Powers, though, remained on the ballot due to New York state law, which only allows replacements on the ballot if a candidate dies, is nominated for a judgeship or moves out of state.

{mosads}Powers notified the WFP that he has moved out of the state to take a job in Washington, D.C., said a spokesman for the party. The WFP expects to endorse Kryzan in the next few days, after it meets and formally votes to back her campaign.

“We would certainly welcome their support,” said Kryzan spokeswoman Anne Wadsworth, who would not comment on whether the Kryzan campaign or the WFP had initiated talks about an endorsement. “From the day since Alice won, the WFP started to signal their support.”

Kryzan upset Powers, who was backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), in early September, and has since won the endorsement of the DCCC and EMILY’s List, which works to elect Democratic women. And while the WFP said it would back Kryzan after Powers’s loss, there was no way to remove his name from the ballot.

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Last month, Lee similarly benefited when he garnered the endorsement of the Independence Party after its candidate was nominated for a judgeship.

An independent poll released last week by SurveyUSA showed Lee leading 48-38, though both minor-party candidates were included in the poll. The Independence candidate drew 3 percent and the WFP candidate drew 5 percent.

The DCCC released its own poll last week as well, showing Kryzan beating Lee by 10 points.

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