Hawkins Gets Jim Owles Club Nod

Original published at: https://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2014/10/hawkins-gets-jim-owles-club-nod/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

By Liz Benjamin

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins yesterday received the endorsement of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club – the first time the NYC LGBT club has backed a non-Democrat for governor in its 10-year history.

Club President Allen Roskoff, a frequent critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called Hawkins a “true progressive.”

“We will not endorse someone just because they are registered in the party when they do not uphold the ideals and progressive principles of the party,” said Roskoff.

“On economic and equity issues Governor Cuomo acts more like a Republican than a Democrat. For those of us who believe in economic justice we thought it would be unconscionable to endorse Andrew Cuomo.”

Roskoff cited a number of problems Cuomo, including the Moreland Commission mess, his failure to issue a fracking decision, refusal to debate before the September primary and reluctance to use his powers of clemency – the subject a of recent rally organized by Roskoff outside the Westchester County home the governor shares with his girlfriend, Food Network star Sandra Lee.

The Jim Owles Club also endorsed Cuomo’s Democratic primary opponent, Fordham Law School Prof. Zephyr Teachout.

The club is the second NYC-based liberal organization to support Hawkins’ campaign. The first was the Village Independence Democrats, which also broke with tradition by backing a third party candidate for governor for the first time in its 57-year history.

VID, which supported Teachout and her running mate, Columbia Law School Prof. Tim Wu, in the primary, (rescinding its previous support for Cuomo’s running mate, former Rep. Kathy Hochul, in the process), also backed Hawkins’ running mate, Green Party LG candidate Brian Jones.

A recent Q poll showed Hawkins receiving 9 percent of the vote, which the candidate said during a CapTon interview surpassed his own campaign’s goal of 5 percent.