A left-wing faction of the Queens County Democratic Party (QCDP) is calling on the organization to only endorse candidates that pledge to defend reproductive rights and voting rights. Congressman Gregory Meeks, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the QCDP (L), and a pro-choice sign (Photos: U.S. Congress (L) and Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash (R))
July 12, 2022 By Michael Dorgan (Updated)
A left-wing faction of the Queens County Democratic Party (QCDP) is calling on the organization to only endorse candidates that sign a pledge that they would defend reproductive rights and voting rights.
The New Reformers, a group of left-leaning members of the QCDP that aims to make the organization more transparent, put forward a motion at the club’s meeting Monday that would require candidates to make the pledge as a condition of being endorsed. The motion, however, was not brought up for a vote.
The pledge would commit candidates to support abortion rights legislation and legislation pertaining to reproductive healthcare and bodily autonomy. The pledge would also require candidates to support bills and initiatives aimed at securing the right to vote and expanding access to voting.
The motion was introduced at the meeting by Zachariah Boyer, a district leader and member of the New Reformers. It was also supported by New Reformers district leaders Émilia Decaudin, Nick Berkowitz, Shawna Morlock and Oscar Escobar.
The New Reformers consider reproductive rights and voting rights to be baseline issues for the party. While the reformers are generally opposed to QCDP providing endorsements, they say that if the party organization chooses to do so, then those endorsements should be contingent on candidates signing the pledge.
However, Congressman Gregory Meeks, the head of the QCDP, and other party leaders refused to put the motion to a vote, according to the New Reformers.
“Today we put forward a bare minimum pledge asking that if the county Democratic Party refuses to stay out of primary races, then the candidates whom the party endorses ought to agree to fight for rights that are under direct attack from the Republican Party as well as complacent Democrats,” Boyer said.
Meeks, according to Boyer, told the organization that he opposed the motion — arguing it could potentially turn voters off.
Boyer said that a number of district Leaders told him after the meeting that the pledge was a good idea and that they would be open to discussing and supporting it.
Nevertheless, Meeks, in a statement to the Queens Post late Tuesday, said that such a pledge was not needed.
“A pledge that restates the core values of both the national and Queens Democratic Party is simply unnecessary,” Meeks said.
“When voters go to the polls in support of candidates endorsed by the Democratic Organization of Queens, they can vote with assurance that those candidates are committed to fighting for a better city, state, and country for all.”
Meanwhile, Decaudin called on the QCDP to come out firmly in support of the issues contained in the pledge, labeling them as red line issues for the party.
“Anything less of a red line on [these] issue[s] is capitulating to right-wing forces and framing,” Decaudin said.
The entire pledge can be viewed below:
“I, [candidate], hereby commit, in the capacity of the office that I seek to hold, to support both legislation enshrining a person’s right to an abortion, reproductive healthcare, and bodily autonomy, and legislation that funds access to reproductive healthcare wherever possible.”
“I further commit to support legislation and initiatives aimed at securing the right to vote and expanding access to voting wherever possible.”
“I further commit to proactively defend our collective, fundamental rights, should they be jeopardized or come under attack, including by supporting legislation or constitutional amendments to enshrine those rights into law.”
“I commit these to my constituents, the people of the state of New York, and to the people of this country.”
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30 Comments
so in other words, vote republican. thanks, will do! that was an easy change for trying to force your values on me.
Pledges are a gimmick, kinda like a pinky swear. What’s next on your red-line issues, girlfriend?
Real Gardens Watcher here, I’m pro-abortion. Get your own username and an abortion.
Nice try, imposter GW. I’m pro-choice, but doubt you are even able to have an abortion.
Are these the same queens reformers who said in their posted bylaws that they wouldn’t challenge petition signatures but then some of them did anyway?
CVS is limiting how many Plan B pills you can buy at once now, so many are being purchased for resale on the black market. Black markets attract organize crime, thanks Republicans!
abortion is legal in NYS and Republicans do not set CVS sales policy…please stop creating a fake crisis…nothing has changed in new york….nothing to see here…there is no prohibition…we have expanded abortion access since roe v wade was finally recognized as unconstitutional…please use contraception and you wont hafta take a plan B pill every other day….
CVS is limiting supply, remember what happened with just masks and sanitizer?
Great point though: NYC has been forced to adopt the healthcare costs for women in nearby states with motherhood mandates.
Then don’t get pregnant! Practice safe sex. And they are “red states”. What planet have you been living on. I have an idea: why don’t people be careful when they engage in sex? Gee, that’s a novel idea!
NYC has not been forced to do anything…progressive politicians chose to spend our taxpayer money on out of state visitors to virtue signal before an election to get votes….and there is no motherhood mandates…you can always put the child up for adoption…we only have unscientific vaccine and mask mandates from progressives…
You’re so worried about laws being unconstitutional…”Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This amendment is the most disregarded and lied about right, allowing the passage of unconstitutional laws by activist judges. There is no individual right to bear arms, let alone weapons of mass destruction and war. People have a right through a peoples militia. It’s an easy to read statement with one dependent clause. Nothing complicated here folks. Roe Vs Wade is and was good law.
Left wing ? The entire democrat party is off the rails and will lose big
There are pro life democrats and pro life independents
We want representation
These progressives are fanatical death cultists
Demanding elected representatives respect autonomy and reproductive rights is not a radical idea. We went over this decades ago. This conservative christofascism is a plague on modern society and our founding fathers would agree.
moderate, pro life democrats are useless DINOs and may as well be drooling Fox news watching conservative hicks
Reproductive rights ? Feel free to reproduce although I doubt you can
The democrats war on babies and mothers continues
The Democrats have a big tent, especially so in Queens, honey. Get over it or get out of it and run on your own Purity Party line.
Stop- A woman’s abortion is none of your business. The Bible says it’s a civil matter to handled by the woman’s patriarch. In colonial America it was a personal issue and handled by the woman before quickening. No laws were deemed necessary.
The abortion mills in NYC are in no danger of closing. Enough with the hysterics.
the point is to openly stop the creeping tide of conservative christofascism and outright reject and run out any weasels who think otherwise
Bigoted much ? You can be pro life and an atheist
Nice to know you hate Christians
I will get the word out
applying the constitution correctly to rescind an unconstitutional decision made by activist judges in 1973 is not christo-fascism…now the people will decide thru democracy in each individual state…9 unelected judges should never force their will on others by bending the constitution…roe v wade never passed the substantive due process litmus test…RGB said it was the worst written decision in SCOTUS history…go out and vote and take part in democracy…
The activist judges were the judges who overturned Roe V Wade. They all were appointed with an objective to overturn the decision. Fact!!
How will people in states that ban abortion perform a jealousy offering? It is a religious right from the Bible being stripped from people?
Stop forced breeding
Stop having sex
Problem solved
Yeah, just tell teenagers to stop having sex ? This is called “abstinence-0nly education” and caused sky-high pregnancy rates in the orange states
“Stop having sex.” The Catholic Church has been preaching that one for nearly 2,000 years. If they haven’t had any success by now it’s probably not happening. What’s your secret?
a principle you’ve kept to your whole life
mostly due to your personality
but also your looks
Speak for yourself, honey – I get mine – and I practice safe sex. Sad about you!
Yeah, “don’t do drugs” has done wonders for drug policy ?
Will the Queens politicians that oppose those allow tax breaks for the motherhood mandate?