Supervisor Jack Cunningham has confirmed he filed an opportunity to ballot on the Working Families Party line with the Albany County Board of Elections against Councilman Sam Messina in his re-election bid for supervisor.
Cunningham, the Democratic incumbent, told The Spotlight today he is looking to add the ballot line to his campaign in September heading into the November elections and that he filed for it yesterday on Wednesday, July 22.
Messina, an Independence Party Town Board member, already picked up the endorsement of the Working Families line and gathered 16 of the town’s nearly 30 registered members on his petitions. However, it is unknown at this time if there are any newly registered Working Families Party members in Bethlehem.
In what appears to be a line grab for the ballot, Cunningham has the endorsement of his own party and the cross-endorsement of Messina’s Independence Party, which opted not to back its own member. Messina has nabbed the cross endorsements of the Republican, Conservative and Working Families parties.
Both men are set to primary for the Independence Party line in September for town supervisor.
If no objections are filed against Cunningham’s `opportunity to ballot,` it will become valid with the board of elections and open up a write-in campaign to Working Families Party members.
It is unknown if an objection will be filed, as only party members can do so, but if not, Messina will still appear on the September primary ballot for the Working Families Party and members will have the opportunity to write in any candidate they choose.
In essence, there will a primary of sorts between Cunningham and Messina for the line even though there will only be one name listed on the ballot.
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