In a poll of members at the April Meeting of the Four Freedoms Democratic Club, members voted overwhelming to reject the "unity deal" announced earlier this month between the state Democratic Party leadership and the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) and to support primary challenges against NY State Senators who have participated in the IDC.  

The IDC are a group of 8 New York State Senators who have been elected as Democrats but who have refused in the past to conference with the Democrats, thus giving Republicans control of the New York Senate even though the majority of Senators have been elected as Democrats. On April 4th, Governor Cuomo announced that he had brokered a deal that would dissolve the IDC and bring these break-away Senators back into the Democratic Conference. As part of this "unity deal", the State Democratic Party leadership agreed to not support primary challenges to Democratic Senators who had conferenced with the IDC.  

At the Club's April 9th meeting, Club members participated in a debate on whether to support the "unity deal" by abstaining from supporting primary challenges to IDC democrats. Jim Casteleiro of No IDC NY presented arguments for rejecting the "unity deal" and Club officer Jerry Ferguson presented arguments for supporting it. The Club had invited elected representatives supporting the "unity deal" to send an advocate for the deal to the meeting but they did not do so. After extensive debate, Club members voted decisively against the "unity deal" and supporting primary challenges to Democrats who had conferenced with the IDC.

In the video below, Jim Casteleiro explains reasons for continuing to take action against the IDC after the "unity deal."