persuaded when they voted for India Walton in the Democratic Primary only to have their long ignored voices disrespected even more by Byron Brown.
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Walton became active in politics at the age of twelve when she protested Rockefeller Drug Laws with her mother as part of the activist group Families Against Mandatory Minimums.[4][5][6] While working as a nurse, she served as a representative for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.[7] She later became executive director of Fruit Belt Community Land Trust. She was active in the George Floyd protests, and criticized Mayor Byron Brown for his handling of the Buffalo police shoving incident.[8] She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[9]
Walton announced her campaign for the mayoralty of Buffalo, in the 2021 election on December 13, 2020.[10]
During the campaign, Brown, who has served as mayor for four terms, refused to debate Walton.[4][11] The Working Families Party, which had supported Brown in every previous election, gave its nomination to Walton and Walton received support from the Democratic Socialists of America.[12][13] However, Walton did not formally accept the party's endorsement before the deadline so she did not appear on the ballot with the Working Families nomination.[14] Her campaign raised $150,000 compared to Brown who raised over $500,000.[9]
Walton was declared the winner of the Democratic primary against Brown and Le'Candice Durham on June 22, 2021.[15] If elected in the general election, she will be the first socialist mayor of a large city since Frank Zeidler left office as mayor of Milwaukee in 1960. Walton would be the first socialist mayor in New York since John H. Gibbons was elected mayor of Lackawanna in 1919.[16][17] She will be opposed in the general election by Brown, who announced a write-in campaign.[18]
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Walton
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In 2021 Brown campaigned for an unprecedented fifth term,[103] but was defeated in the Democratic primary on June 23, 2021 by India Walton.[104][105]
During the primary campaign, Brown did not participate in debates.[106][107] While initially low key in his fundraising efforts,[108] he was supported by a number of wealthy donors late into his campaign.[109]
After his defeat in the primary, Brown announced that he would run as a write-in candidate in the general election.[110] Since the Erie County Democratic Party has supported India Walton following her victory in the Democratic Party primary, Brown has increasingly relied on support from local Republican officials and right-wing organizations which are opposed to Walton, including to assist with collecting signatures for a place on the general election ballot. On August 17, 2021, Brown's campaign submitted approximately 3,000 signatures in order to appear on the ballot as an independent, with the party label "Buffalo Party."[111][112][113] The Erie County Board of Elections initially ruled the petitions invalid, and Brown sued for ballot access.[114] However, on September 16, 2021, state and federal courts ruled against Brown, meaning that he will not appear on the 2021 general election ballot and will instead continue his campaign as a write-in candidate.[115]
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron_Brown
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