WFP backs Jibreel Jalloh in challenge to Jaime Williams

The New York Working Families Party on Thursday endorsed community organizer Jibreel Jalloh, who is challenging southeast Brooklyn Assembly Member Jaime Williams in the June Democratic primary. 

“There is the demand for leaders that will fight to make New York City affordable and safe for working families, not just the rich,” WFP co-Chair Ana María Archila told City & State.  “There is the qualities of leadership that Jibreel already embodies and a record that already shows that he’s a capable fighter.” 

“I’m proud to earn the Working Families Party endorsement as we fight to lower costs, protect healthcare and deliver a new generation of leadership,” Jalloh said in a statement to City & State.

The district, which represents communities in Canarsie, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach and Marine Park, typically votes Democratic in local elections, but is not considered a progressive stronghold. In the 2025 mayoral general election, neighborhoods in the district like Canarsie and Flatlands largely voted for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, but others like Mill Basin, Bergen Beach and Marine Park backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

Williams, a conservative Democrat, has held the office for a decade and has come under fire in recent years for some right-leaning actions, such as opposing a migrant shelter in her district at Floyd Bennett Field; Archila cited that as part of the motivation to back her challenger. In past elections, Williams has run on the Democratic and WFP lines, though in 2024, she ran on the Democratic, Republican and Conservative tickets. Archila said Williams did not apply for the WFP endorsement this time. 

“I work hard to represent our community and the people of South Brooklyn, regardless of their political party,” Williams said in a statement when asked about Jalloh’s endorsement. “When it comes down to it, I am the Democratic Assemblywoman from the 59th district, and I am running for reelection as the Democratic candidate.”

Save for Williams running on the WFP line in the 2022 general election, the party has largely stayed out of area races in the last four years. An area nonprofit leader and Obama scholar, Jalloh is certainly a more progressive option for constituents. “This district is an endorsement that in some ways expands our reach beyond the progressive corridors of the city into a part of Brooklyn that is not considered a progressive part of Brooklyn, but where we see also the same level of energy and demands for an affordable New York,” Archila said.

The endorsement comes about two weeks after candidates for state office released their early fundraising numbers, spanning mid-July to Jan. 11. Since launching in November, Jalloh has raised just under $60,000, and has nearly $43,000 in cash on hand, state records show. Meanwhile, Williams finished the latest filing period with more than $129,000 in cash on hand, but raised $30,140 in that six-month span. The majority of her cash on hand – more than $96,000 – was transferred in from her previous campaign account.