BOROUGHWIDE – BROOKLYN’S INCUMBENT CITY Councilmembers largely cruised to victory in the Council’s primary elections on Tuesday night, as unofficial first-round election results came in from across the borough.
Councilmember Shahana Hanif scored around 70% of the first-round Democratic primary votes cast in her brownstone Brooklyn District 39, leaving lawyer Maya Kornberg far behind, in a race some saw as a proxy fight over the Israel-Palestine conflict, as well as one infused with a startling amount of cash for a local election. Hanif in a speech characterized her win as a victory over GOP and other wealthy donors, reports The City.
Councilmember Inna Vernikov also notched an easy victory in her southern Brooklyn District 48’s Republican primary, receiving 66% of the vote, over former councilmember Ari Kagan, a one-time conservative Democrat who changed parties three years ago. Vernikov characterized Kagan as a Democrat attempting to fool GOP voters, and touted her long record as a firm conservative, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
Term-limited Councilmember Justin Brannan supported his chief counsel Kayla Santosuosso for the southern Brooklyn District 47 seat. Santosuosso won the Democratic primary with nearly 80% of the vote against student Fedir Usmanov, but could face a tougher race in the fall in the purple district. Across the aisle, George Sarantopoulos, a businessman, and Richie Barsamian, a former police officer and the party’s Brooklyn chair, are in a dead heat for the Republican District 47 nomination, with Sarantopoulos at 49.9% to Barsamian’s 48.4% in the first round.
Tallying is still taking place in Councilmember Darlene Mealy’s District 41, as she did not gain a majority of the vote in the first round of ranked-choice voting; however, the councilmember is far ahead of her three closest competitors, with 43% to 16%, 13% and 12%. Full race results are expected next week.
Incumbents Alexa Avilés, Lincoln Restler, Crystal Hudson, Chi Osse and Mercedes Narcisse all faced little resistance, with each earning over 70% of the vote in their respective districts.
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