Walton gave birth to her first child when she was fourteen,[4][5] dropped out of high school, worked at Family Dollar and McDonald's, and lived in a group home for young mothers.

She has said she decided to pursue a career in nursing after her experience following the birth of her twins, who were born premature and required months of intensive care.

[3] Walton became active in politics at the age of twelve when she protested Rockefeller Drug Laws with her mother as part of the activist group Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

[3] She left her nursing career after being hired by Open Buffalo as a community organizer with a focus on criminal justice and policing reforms.

[3][13][14] She was also a leader in local Black Lives Matter protests,[13][14] and advocated for Mayor Byron Brown to sign Cariol's Law.

[3][13][28] On October 23, 2021, CNN reported the mayoral election "escalated over the summer and into the fall as a proxy fight between the city and state's growing progressive movement and more business-friendly, establishment Democrats determined to block Walton's ascent".

[27] In an interview with Rolling Stone, published in July 2021, she stated, "It's my responsibility to explain to folks that being a democratic socialist does not mean that I'm interested in seizing people’s private property.

[19] After his primary election defeat to Walton, Brown announced a write-in campaign,[35] after his lawsuit that sought to add his name to the ballot was unsuccessful.

"[43] In April, two community activists filed a complaint with the Erie County Board of Elections claiming Walton was not eligible to run based on not meeting residency requirements.

[44] Her opponents were Murray Holman, the executive director of the Stop the Violence Coalition in Buffalo, and Zeneta Everhart, a staffer for state senator Tim Kennedy, who was endorsed by the Erie County Democratic Committee.

[44] Everhart won the June 27 Democratic primary, while Walton indicated that she would appear on the general election ballot as the nominee of the Working Families Party.

[49] In October 2021, after Walton revealed the impoundment of her car due to unpaid parking tickets and an expired inspection, she described the experience as indicating a need for the city government to focus on how to support residents with the management of fines and fees.