JOINT STATEMENT from NKD and South Central Brooklyn United for Progress

After Brittany Ramos-DeBarros was the only candidate to confirm her participation, local political clubs canceled the NY-11 Congressional Forum scheduled for August 1. We underscore the need for candidates to directly engage with the constituents they hope to represent.

New Kings Democrats and South Central Brooklyn United for Progress are distinct organizations that share a common mission: to build a Democratic Party that is transparent, inclusive, and responsive to all New Yorkers. We proudly hosted a forum for the Congressional candidates in NY-10 and looked forward to doing the same in NY-11, where Brittany Ramos-DeBarros, Max Rose, and Dr. Komi Agoda-Koussema will face off in the August 23 primary. The winner will go on to challenge Republican incumbent Nicole Malliotakis. 

New York’s 11th Congressional district is of high importance: it’s a seat previously held (for one term) by Democrat Max Rose, it is made up of parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island, and it is sorely in need of transformative and inclusive leadership. Our Democratic Party certainly has room to grow in this district, and the communities it includes deserve more engagement from Democratic candidates.

The NY-11 primary deserves attention from voters and from the media. This forum would have been the only time constituents heard from the top two frontrunners – Brittany Ramos DeBarros and Max Rose – together, and gathered information to make a clear choice between the candidates before voting in the upcoming primary. We are disappointed that Max Rose has refused to engage and we hope that he will reconsider this stance. NY-11 deserves better.