NYC mayoral candidate Dianne Morales won’t participate in online forums anymore
She’s Zoomed out.
Mayoral candidate Dianne Morales announced Tuesday she was ending her participation in online forums, the predominant means of campaigning in the 2021 contest to date.
“This race will not be won on Zoom. And we don’t have a lot of time,” she wrote in a Medium post. “Our base is currently hard at work, keeping this City running. My team has a responsibility to co-create a new vision for the City with them.”
The COVID outbreak has shifted much of campaigning to the online world. For months, candidates and their staffs have privately complained of the endless stream of requests to show up at forums hosted by groups from obscure local clubs to powerful unions. Reporters have also griped about the time-consuming sessions that lack the usual fireworks of a mayoral contest. But, afraid of offending potential voters, candidates have diligently shown up to as many as possible — sometimes up to four times in a single day.
Morales said she’s participated in “more than 50 forums” — suggesting, perhaps unsurprisingly, she had lost count — and noted they have some value.
“Forums — particularly during a pandemic — play an important role in ensuring that candidates remain consistent with their policies, platforms and plans,” she stated.
“I also have a responsibility to engage communities often excluded from access to decision-making tables,” Morales added. “And it is time for my campaign to take the tables to the streets, reimagine community engagement and adjust how I continue to amplify my vision for the city.”
A first-time candidate for office, Morales is hoping her status as one of the most progressive candidates in the race can propel her from the back of the crowded pack of contenders. The former nonprofit executive got support from just 2% of likely Democratic voters in a recent poll, though the survey also found half of voters were still undecided about the June 22 Democratic primary.
Check out our special section for the latest news on the critical 2021 elections in NYC. And to have the essential news and analysis sent to your inbox, sign up for our Campaign Diaries newsletter.
