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With a heavily local election this year and a congressional election next year, local progressives are organizing.

After last fall's election, the Democratic Party nationally is in bad shape and a lot of older politicians are discredited by the results of the November election. Surveys say younger voters are concerned about what they are seeing in the Trump Administration and its positions.

Locally, the former Bernie Sanders progressives are organizing themselves looking to fall and 2018. They held a meeting Tuesday night in Communications Workers Local 1122 hall in Cheektowaga with a number of political candidates present to speak and shake a few hands in a crowded room.

Local Liberty Union Progressives Co-chair Matt Dearing said it was organizing time.

"We're trying to build our own sort of base here in the area," Dearing said. "We used to be Buffalo for Bernie Sanders before the election, before he lost. So we want to be the engine that keeps the party moving forward and makes the changes that need to be made to get us some seats again. We're not even in control in the New York State Senate."

There are more Democrats than Republicans in the State Senate, but many work with the GOP as the Independent Democratic Conference. Dearing said there are opportunities for progressives, but not much locally.

"Not so much here in Erie County," he said. "Things are kind of locked in, at the moment, but all across the country there is a lot of growing more room for the progressive movement to sort of get their feet in and there's a big deliberation going on whether the choice is to join the Democratic Party or leave the Democratic Party and join the Green Party and start a third, a new progressive party."

Dearing pointed to Sheriff Tim Howard and the problems of the Holding Center as an issue for this year and Democratic sheriff candidate Bernie Tolbert was at the meeting.

"We've had a Republican sheriff, for instance, in Erie County for I don't even know how long, to be honest, but with the problems that are going in the Holding Center, we think, particularly here in an off-year, we have a chance to drive up engagement and interest among people in the region," Dearing said. "Next year is something that we're very excited for, especially with Mr. Collins being up for re-election."

Dearing says a number of his members live in Clarence Congressman Chris Collins' district. His close alliance with President Trump is not likely to go over well with progressives.

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Local progressives have eye on off-year election prizes | WBFO - WBFO