12:05 pm Jul. 25, 2012
Democratic state senator Adriano Espailat received an early endorsement from the Working Families Party in his re-election campaign, but, according to a Board of Elections spokesperson, he may not appear on that ballot line because he filed his paperwork late.
Espaillat is expected to appeal the late filing when the Board of Elections meets on Monday. If successful, he would appear on the WFP line during the November general election.
Espaillat declared for re-election to his state senate seat after falling short in a primary challenge to Rep. Charlie Rangel last month, a race that was drawn out by allegations from Espaillat that the board bungled the vote-counting process.
The hiccup will not affect Espaillat's status for the September primary election, when he faces an old foe, Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, who beat Espaillat in a Council race in 1991 and now enjoys the support of Rangel in his campaign for the senate.
Linares is also backed by indepenent Mayor Michael Bloomberg and some key figures in Manhattan's Democratic establishment, but Espaillat proved to be an energetic campaigner in his race against Rangel, nearly dethroning the 40-year incumbent in a race that generated considerable national coverage.
