A judge’s ruling Friday blocked Dana Balter from gaining a third-party ballot line in her campaign for Congress against Rep. John Katko and could keep a candidate in the race who has no interest in running.
The Working Families Party had given its nomination to Syracuse lawyer Steve Williams before the Democratic primary election between Balter and Francis Conole.
Williams was viewed as a placeholder for the Democratic nominee. After Balter won the Democratic primary on June 23, the Working Families Party decided to give her its ballot line.
To legally remove Williams from the ballot under New York election law, the party nominated him to run on the ballot for a state Supreme Court justice’s seat in Queens.
But that move was challenged by Onondaga County Republican Chairman Tom Dadey and Katko supporters.