India Walton, a 38 year-old socialist, stunned the political world on Tuesday night when she defeated a four-term incumbent in Buffalo’s Democratic primary for mayor.
If Walton wins in November’s general election – the party registration is heavily in her favor – she’ll become the first socialist mayor of a major American city since 1960. Walton, a nurse and community organizer, would also be the first female mayor of Buffalo, which is New York’s second largest city.
“Today is only the beginning,” Walton told her supporters on Tuesday night (watch above). “If you are in elected office right now, you are being put on notice,” she added.
Video @TheBuffaloNews
India Walton leaves Poize Nightclub on Niagara Street to call her mom telling her she won mayoral democratic primary in Buffalo pic.twitter.com/tVNsy2mDe2
— Robert Kirkham (@RobertKirkhamBN) June 23, 2021
The Buffalo News explains how she prevailed over incumbent Byron W. Brown, who has thus far refused to concede:
Her victory followed a left-leaning campaign that built surprising strength in finances and organization in its closing days. While Brown, 62, aired soft TV ads that seemed to reflect strength and confidence, Walton jabbed the mayor as out of touch with average voters, under investigation by a federal grand jury, and a pawn of “billionaire” donors unwilling to relinquish his 16-year grip on City Hall.
The results seem to introduce a new brand of Democratic politics to Buffalo and a rebuke to the steady hand Brown emphasized as his main attribute during a time of “renaissance.”
“Tonight’s result proves that Buffalonians demand community-minded, people-focused government, and we’re ready to serve them,” Walton said in a statement. “For too long, we’ve seen our city work for politicians, for developers, for the police union, but not for ordinary working families. In our city, everyone will have a seat at the table.”
There are so many people people who made this victory possible, but I have to give a special shout out to @NYWFP and the entire Working Families Party. With no support from the Buffalo Democratic establishment, we turned to WFP, and they delivered (1/4)
— The Hood 211 (@Indiawaltonbflo) June 23, 2021
According to The New York Times, Walton “has said her priorities as mayor would include adopting so-called sanctuary city rules to safeguard undocumented immigrants, introducing more robust protections for tenants and ending the role of police officers in most mental health emergency calls.”