Former Buffalo candidate for mayor India Walton is joining the progressive Working Families Party as a senior advisor, the organization on Monday announced. 

Walton, who defeated incumbent Mayor Byron Brown in a June Democratic primary and lost the general election amid a write-in bid by Brown, will oversee special projects.

“The Working Families Party brings together the best of social movement and political organizing to change working people’s lives for the better,” Walton said. “I’m so excited to work with the WFP to build power for the multiracial working class and elect a new generation of progressive leaders in this state.”

Walton's initial primary victory over Brown garnered national attention, leading to rallies with figures in the progressive movement like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But Brown was able to stage a write-in bid in the fall after failing to gain a spot on the ballot in November. 

The WFP had backed Walton's candidacy during the primary and general election. The June contest had largely flown under the radar until her surprise win. 

“India represents so much of what we want in our leaders — moral courage, deep accountability to her community, and a fearless commitment to making government work for the people instead of the powerful and politically connected,” said Sochie Nnaemeka, the director of the New York Working Families Party. “We’re absolutely thrilled to partner with India and build on her groundbreaking work in Buffalo. Western New York hasn’t seen anything yet. We’re just getting started.”