Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union Democrat Gwen Wright, who is looking to unseat Republican Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, has been endorsed by The Working Families Party. Wright is expected to be interviewed February 20 by the Rensselaer County Democratic Committee for its endorsement. Wright, a Schodack resident, said she shares positions with the Working Families Party on racial justice, environmental protection and responsible economic development. “I’m very happy that I have their endorsement,” Wright said. To date, Wright has signed up 120 volunteers for her campaign, and expects to raise $200,000 to $250,000 in her effort to become the first Democrat elected as county executive. If elected, Wright would be the first black woman elected to countywide office in Rensselaer County. Wright is the retired executive director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. The Working Families Party stressed that the 3,411 county residents who voted on the Working Families line in 2020 was more than the 1,090-vote margin McLaughlin won by in 2017. In the 2017 election for county executive, McLaughlin’s success was boosted by a presence on the Independence Party line, which along with the Conservative line allowed him to beat his Democratic opponents. This year, the Independence Party does not exist because it failed to garner enough votes in the 2020 presidential election to maintain its place on the ballot. Wright is the only candidate to emerge to run against McLaughlin. Democrats said Wright is the only person scheduled to be interviewed to be their county executive candidate. Read the full story in the Times Union.