In her quest to unseat Andrew Cuomo, Cynthia Nixon is on the verge of getting her own ballot line.
After a wild day on the campaign trail, Cuomo announced that he is no longer seeking the support of the Working Families Party. The move comes after two major labor unions pulled out of the party amid alleged pressure from Cuomo.
Cuomo had been fighting for the party's support, but when it looked like it was going to go with Nixon, he allegedly orchestrated the union pullout.
He said directly that anyone who supports not just the WFP but progressive community organizations that are associated with the WFP should "lose his number."
A spokeswoman for Cuomo's campaign disputed the idea Cuomo threatened labor leaders. She now says Cuomo no longer wants the Working Families Party endorsement.
"Given the announcement today that the remaining unions will no longer be a part of the WFP, we stand in solidarity with them and will not be seeking the endorsement of the 3rd party line at their convention next month," the spokeswoman said in a statement.
The two major unions that pulled out of the party, Local 32BJ and Communication Workers of America Local 1, say Cuomo has delivered for working people by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and passing paid family leave.
Cynthia Nixon's campaign blasted the governor over reports that he was preparing to target progressive groups backing Nixon.
"Andrew Cuomo putting his personal political ambitions over the needs of grassroots organizations fighting for racial and economic justice tells you everything you need to know about him, and it shows just how terrified he is of Cynthia Nixon," said Rebecca Katz, a senior strategist for the Nixon campaign.
Working Families Party member Jonathan Westin runs one of the groups that could see its funding take a hit.
"The governor, when he doesn't get his way, he goes agressively on the offensive, and this time, it's against commuity organizers like us," Westin said.
Working Families Party members are meeting Saturday and could endorse Nixon then. Now that Cuomo has made it clear he does not want the party's support, it seems like a done deal.