Buffalo progressive India Walton teases another run for office

Buffalo, New York - Is Buffalo progressive India Walton ready to throw her hat in the ring for another shot at public office?

India Walton announced on X she is mulling a challenge to Buffalo Common Council President Chris Scanlon.
India Walton announced on X she is mulling a challenge to Buffalo Common Council President Chris Scanlon.  © IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

"I thought I was certain that I would never run again, but after several conversations I think not only do I owe it to my people, but I think maybe I could beat Chris Scanlon," Walton posted on X.

"Some of our greatest leaders have lost more than once before they succeeded," she added.

Walton rose to the national spotlight after defeating Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in the 2021 Democratic primary.

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Many establishment figures failed to support the community activist and former nurse after her victory. Only after New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs compared Walton, a Black woman, to former KKK grand wizard David Duke did Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand endorse the Democratic nominee.

Brown did not concede after the primary and instead launched a write-in campaign for mayor. He ended up winning the general election and a fifth term in office.

Walton then announced a bid to represent the Masten District in the Buffalo Common Council. She lost the primary in June 2023 to Zeneta Everhart, mother of one of the survivors of the 2022 Tops supermarket shooting.

Will India Walton challenge Chris Scanlon?

Walton appears to have her sights set on Scanlon, a conservative Democrat and ally of Mayor Brown, who currently serves as president of the Buffalo Common Council. His term ends on December 31, 2027.

Rumors have been circling that Brown, whose term is scheduled to end on December 31, 2025, may be in the running to become the next president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., a public gambling agency.

If Brown were to resign early, Scanlon would serve out the rest of his term as mayor until a general election is held.

Cover photo: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

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