(West Village, NYC) — At a Monday morning press conference Howie Hawkins, Green Party candidate for governor and Alexander Meadows, Progressive Party 66th District Assembly candidate endorsed each other. They were also each endorsed by Village Democratic District Leader Arthur Schwartz and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club President Allen Roskoff. Roskoff's club had been the first to endorse Zephyr Teachout and Schwartz was one of two state Democrats who endorsed Teachout in her primary campaign. 

Meadows' opponent is 24-year Democratic incumbent Deborah Glick. 

"I proudly endorse Alexander Meadows in his run for State Assembly.  We need more challenges to entrenched incumbents to carry forward a progressive platform.  We share the same progressive vision for New York State and neither of us have the encumbrances that the the two parties have as they pander to the financial, real estate, fossil fuel and gambling industries," said Howie Hawkins. "In the Assembly we need to break free from Sheldon Silver's vice grip, and the more independent and third party candidates we have challenging for Assembly office the closer we can get to achieving that goal, and moving forward progressive solutions to our New York's problems and inequities."

"What the residents of the 66th district need now more than ever is new leadership in Albany. The system is rigged and our opponents are part of the broken system. I am running to provide a real choice for voters. I am looking beyond the old guard to 10, 15, 20 years down the road," said Assembly Candidate Alexander Meadows. "New York can and must have an economy that works for all of us — not one that works only for the wealthy and well connected. It is clear to me that this culture of intimidation, back room deals, and working for your largest donors is one of the biggest problem facing our democracy."

Meadows concluded, "Howie Hawkins and I are not Albany insiders, but we believe that our opponents can be beaten and must be challenged. Our progressive values are aligned with the voters of this district and  not with the flawed values of the current leadership."

"I have represented Greenwich Village and much of the Lower West Side for almost 20 years as a Democratic Party Leader. I cannot, in good conscience urge my neighbors to vote for Andrew Cuomo on any line. He is not a true representative of the progressive spirit of the Democratic Party, much less the Working Families Party, and his Women's Equality Party is a fraud. He governs like a heavy handed mean-spirited thug, and has engendered support among my fellow Democrats largely through fear," said Democratic District Leader Arthur Schwartz, one of two Democratic Party officials in the State who supported Zephyr Teachout in the Democratic Primary for governor.

"Cuomo has inadequately funded public education in order to boast about a 'balanced budget,' improvidently ducked the opportunity to stop fracking in its tracks, and hinged New York's future solvency on a risky casino scheme which will syphon money from the poor."

Schwartz continued, "Cuomo has no true record in support of affordable housing, has done little to promote green energy or tax equity, and is more at home cavorting with Republican millionaires than with poor people. For that reason I am endorsing Howie Hawkins, the one candidate for governor who we can call progressive, and I am excited by the breadth of the grass-roots support which his candidacy has received and the potential to build on that in the future."

Schwartz concluded, "For the same reason I am supporting Alexander Meadows in his race for the Assembly. Our district has had the same Assembly Member for 24 years. Once dynamic, she has become stale, standing with Chris Quinn last year when her constituents went for deBlasio, supporting  Cuomo this year when Zephyr Teachout won this district by a 2-1 margin, and making secret deals to give away millions of dollars in Hudson River Park  air rights to developers. Alexander is  fresh, forward looking , and uncontrolled by any powers that be. I endorse his candidacy as well."

Both campaigns are gaining momentum because of their progressive stand on the issues (fracking ban, women's equality, affordable housing, income inequality, fighting poverty and for higher wages, clean energy and clemency for prisoners--Cuomo has not once used his clemency powers) and their appeal to progressive voters dissatisfied  and furious with the record of entrenched Democratic Party leadership.

Green Party candidate for governor, Howie Hawkins is the only progressive on the gubernatorial ballot. Hawkins is currently polling at 9%, which equates to 415,000 votes. 

The district Alexander Meadows is running to represent includes the West Village, Hudson Square, Tribeca, Soho, Noho, the East Village west of First Ave. and a small part of Union Square.