NKD is proud to announce this year’s candidate endorsements! On May 4, the general membership met to hear from and vote on an exciting array of candidates. These are the best of the best of Brooklyn politics: progressive, independent, looking to make big moves towards transparency in government and accountability of elected officials. And they need our help! Some of our endorsed candidates have never run for elected office before -- we find this exciting, but it means they need a little extra support.
And who are these folks?
18th State Senate District
Debbie Medina
NKD endorsed Debbie in 2014 as her State Senate challenger race, and we are thrilled to do so again. Debbie is a long-term community organizer in Williamsburg, fighting for tenants rights and public education. Building on her experience as an organizer, Debbie has committed to establishing community advisory committees on key issues, especially education and housing, to “bring the inner workings of the legislature directly to the people.”
Debbie will need campaign volunteers and help raising money throughout the summer, as she faces a 14-year incumbent.
50th Assembly District
Emily Gallagher, Female District Leader Candidate
Emily Gallagher may be new to politics, but she is a longstanding advocate for education, the environment, the arts, and much more in her Williamsburg/Greenpoint community. Emily is committed to taking the position of female district leader to the next level by connecting the conversations in the Democratic Party in Brooklyn with the actual community; supporting a more equitable voter registration process in Brooklyn and NYS; and promoting overall transparency in local government. Sounds like a great fit for NKD, right?! We thought so!
Emily will need support petitioning, and also raising some money - though she does have a great team of “kitchen cabinet” advisors behind her.
Nick Rizzo, Male District Leader
Nick was an upstart NKD-endorsed candidate only two years ago, and he has become so ingrained in Brooklyn politics he faces no challenger! Nick is NKD’s inside ear to the Executive Committee of County Committee, so please reach out to Nick if you have any questions or concerns at all about what happens in these closed door meetings.
Nick will not need a ton of support this year, other than having people run for County Committee in his district. Please be in touch with us with you want to be on his County Committee slate!
53rd Assembly District
Boris Santos, Male District Leader Candidate**
Boris has been active in NKD’s Policy Committee for the past few years, and we are thrilled to support him in his first race. Boris is an educator by day, and advocate for local government reform by night. In fact, Boris owns an annotated copy of the NY State Constitution that he holds near and dear, and is a fervent proponent of a Constitutional Convention. Boris grew up in the Southside of Williamsburg, and is excited to run for District Leader in his neighborhood.
Boris faces a tough race, and will need lots of volunteers this summer helping him out!
** UPDATE JUNE 7, 2016: Boris has withdrawn from the race, but continues to work hard in support of Debbie Medina and other Brooklyn reformers **
44th Assembly District
Bobby Carroll, Male District Leader Candidate
Bobby Carroll has taken campaigning for a District Leader position to the next level, announcing his candidacy two years in advance and pulling out all the stops to get him there. Bobby is also one of the most diehard advocates for reform in the County Committee, so we cannot be more excited to be a part of his journey. Bobby has committed to promoting judicial convention reforms; County Committee reforms including to the process and structure of meetings; changing the bylaws of the Kings County Democratic Committee; and reforming the Board of Elections to make it nonpartisan and professionalized. Bobby has stated that “the energy, values, and authenticity that NKD brings with its endorsement would be an essential resource to [his] campaign.” Thanks, Bobby!
Bobby has been a successful fundraiser, but could use our help with petitioning and through our continued partnership to push reforms across the Borough.
7th Congressional District
U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez
With a June Congressional primary, NKD endorsed Nydia ahead of our regular schedule at our March monthly meeting. Nydia, or “La Luchadora” as she is known to many, has been a tireless community advocate, Ranking Member of the U.S. House Small Business Committee, and an early supporter of NKD. Nydia was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House of Representatives--and has been active in NKD and beyond promoting Latino and female leadership.
If you are in Nydia’s district, don’t forget to vote on June 28th and let us know if you would like to volunteer with her re-election campaign!
NKD welcomes feedback on how we can continue to find progressive candidates that need NKD’s support. If you or anyone you know has ever thought to run for office, let us know and we can help you figure out where to start and what to expect.
Look out for further updates on how you can support our endorsed candidates. We’ll see you out there this summer!