Brooklyn Dem Party celebrates groundbreaking election victories

Borough Has Highest Dem Voter Turnout in New York State

November 11, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Steve Cohn hosted Gov. Kathy Hochul, the mayor, and many other local politicians during his annual Cheesecake Breakfast held at Junior’s Restaurant. Photo: Robert Abruzzese

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Brooklyn Dem Party Celebrates Groundbreaking Election Victories; Borough Has Highest Dem Voter Turnout in New York State

As results still trickle in from NY’s General Election, The Brooklyn Democratic Party displayed its outsized role in winning historic Statewide elections while celebrating boroughwide victories.

A National Spotlight on the “Political Center of the Universe”

The largest Democratic County Party in the nation, with over 1.3M Dem registered voters, “galvanized strong voter turnout, as evidenced with Brooklyn leading the five boroughs in votes cast,” said Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (who won a fifth term in the Assembly for the uncontested 42nd AD).

“Brooklyn used to be considered an ‘outer borough’; and is now the ‘center of the political universe,’’ Party Leader Bichotte Hermelyn said.

Celebrating Brooklynites’ Statewide Democratic Victories

“Brooklyn’s own first female Attorney General Tish James and Senator Chuck Schumer” were among the sweeping statewide and federal election wins touted by the Party.

“We congratulate Senator Chuck Schumer on his re-election for a historic fifth term. Schumer, a native Brooklynite, has devoted his career to bettering the lives of New Yorkers,” said Bichotte Hermelyn.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli also secured a win, with the Party congratulating “the state’s financial watchdog” who “will improve our Government functionality with integrity” for a fourth term.

From left: Hon. Caroline Piela Cohen, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, and City Councilmember Farah Louis. Photo: Robert Abruzzese

Historic Wins Making the National Spotlight

With the most hotly contested NY gubernatorial race in decades, the national spotlight turned to the state, bringing out heavy hitters like President Joe Biden to stump for Kathy Hochul, and Brooklyn was in the limelight, with Bill Clinton stating the entire race between Hochul and Lee Zeldin could come down to the borough while rallying in City Point on Saturday.

The Brooklyn Democratic Party, who supported that rally, stated that Hochul “will keep breaking barriers and glass ceilings as she fights for women’s rights, economic equality and prosperity, combats crime and relentlessly works to improve the lives of all New Yorkers alongside capable Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado.”

Historic Slate of Judicial Wins Reflects Diversity of Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Democratic Party also touted the victories of its historically diverse judicial slate, including their nominated 12 NY Supreme Court Justices officially winning on General Election night. “With a diverse slate of twelve deeply qualified Democratic justices, Brooklyn has reached a historical win,” the Party said, with Patria Frias-Colón, Cenceria P. Edwards, Cheryl Gonzales, Lorna J. McAllister, Aaron D. Maslow, Dweynie E. Paul, Susan Quirk, Robin K. Sheares, Ellen Spodek, Richard Velasquez, Anne Swern, and Craig S. Walker heading to the State Supreme Court bench.

Also a diverse and qualified slate of Civil Court judges nominated by the party were elected: Ed King, Sherveal Mines, Pamela Patton Fynes, Robin Garson, and Patrick Torres Hayes.

Fighting Off GOP Attacks in a Dem Stronghold

Although Brooklyn saw major victories, and “while there is a Blue Wave in the state of New York, Democratic nominees all over the City and State, including Parts of South Brooklyn faced unprecedented GOP challengers,” said Bichotte Hermelyn.

The Party “reached over 1.1 million voters” to combat the increased GOP attacks, Bichotte Hermelyn said, through canvassing, phone banking, digital outreach and get out the vote rallies..

In the U.S. House, where four out the five Brooklyn Dem Reps. won reelection ( incumbents Nydia Velázquez, Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke easily secured victory along with newcomer Dan Goldman) former Rep. Max Rose unsuccessfully tried to reclaim his seat in a nationally-watched race for CD 11 (encompassing parts Southern Brooklyn and heavily-Red Staten Island) to Republican incumbent Nicole Malliotakis.

In the State Senate, Brooklyn won 9 out its 10 seats, with Dem incumbent Iwen Chu’s race still too close to call against Republican Vito LaBella. “There were parts of southern Brooklyn where the headwinds appear to have been too great, but all that means is we go to work to return those seats to the Democratic column in 2024,” the Party said in a statement.

Dems County Leader Rodneyse Bichotte and Mayor Eric Adams. Photo: Robert Abruzzese

Unifying Forward

Fresh off the heels of a reelection as Party Chair, Bichotte Hermelyn vowed to continue to unite the boroughs diverse Democratic ideologies to secure an even a tighter Dem stronghold.

“As the largest and fastest growing borough, Brooklyn is not just culturally diverse, but politically diverse across the Democratic spectrum with many shades of Blue,” Bichotte Hermelyn said. “This serves as a pertinent reminder that we need to continue to unify as Democrats, regardless of our differing views, in preparation for the GOP challenges ahead.”