In July, the Brooklyn Democratic Party disclosed its spending and contributions for the first half of 2020. This data gives a sense of who and what the Party prioritizes and gives cause for concern: It shows that the Party puts its thumb on the scale in primaries, it relies on funding from special interests, it is in significant debt to former County Chair and District Leader Frank Seddio, and it continues to spend money on consultants whose purpose is unclear.

Congratulations to NKD-endorsed District Leader candidates — Shaquana Boykin (AD57), Jesse Pierce (AD52), Julio Pena (AD51), Samy Nemir Oliveres (AD53), and Kristina Naplatarski (AD50) — who all won their races! 

Party leaders often work behind the scenes to provide support to incumbent elected representatives, but this year the leaders of the Brooklyn Democratic Committee made their preferences unusually explicit — taking the problem of Party involvement in Democratic primaries to a new level.