UPDATES 8/25: NY Governor Kathy Hochul told NY1 “Governor Hochul is opposed to this proposal to rewrite the rules…the Brooklyn Dems’ leadership vote should be a fair and transparent process.” 

With this statement from Congressman Dan Goldman, Brooklyn’s entire Democratic Congressional delegation, plus the Democratic House nominees, are all opposing Bichotte’s proposal.

Democratic elected officials from Brooklyn overwhelmingly slammed Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn’s announced plans to rewrite party rules in order to keep herself in power. Bichotte faces a coming leadership vote after a new majority of District Leaders, who make up the party’s Executive Committee, were elected by Brooklyn voters in the June primary. She is now trying to rig that vote in her favor by packing the committee with dozens of her handpicked supporters.

The following leaders issued statements opposing the Chair’s proposed power grab: New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velázquez, and Dan Goldman; Democratic Congressional nominees Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Mike DeCillis; New York State Attorney General Letitia James; New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani; New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; NYC Comptroller Mark Levine; New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes; New York State Assemblymembers Monique Chandler-Waterman, Brian Cunningham, Robert Carroll, Jo Anne Simon, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Maritza Davila, and Emily Gallagher; NYC City Council Members Alexa Avilés, Crystal Hudson, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Shahana Hanif, Sandy Nurse, Lincoln Restler, Chi Ossé, Rita Joseph, and Kayla Santosuosso; and New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs.

Nearly two dozen elected leaders also signed on to a letter demanding that Bichotte Hermelyn abandon her plan:

“Respecting the outcome of elections is the bedrock of our democracy, and our Democratic Party must defend that principle…

As Democratic elected officials, we demand that Chair Bichotte Hermelyn stop attempting to rewrite the rules and allow the chair vote to proceed as specified in the rules that were in place at the time of the primary.”

Signatories of the letter include: Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso; State Senators Julia Salazar and Kristen Gonzalez; Assembly nominees Christian Celeste Tate and Eon Huntley; and City Council Member Rita Joseph.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted: “Respecting the outcome of elections is a bedrock principle of our democracy, and our Democratic Party must defend that principle. Given the clear results of the June Democratic primary in Brooklyn, the party should not change the rules in the middle of the game.”

"I very much oppose these proposed changes by the current Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair. I oppose them because they are an attempt to circumnavigate the will of voters,” Mayor Mamdani said at a press conference Monday.

In a statement, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was “surprised” by the plan and “does not support it.” Rep. Yvette Clarke said: “What is being proposed flies in the face of our democratic values.” Rep. Nydia Velázquez also condemned the power grab: “This is exactly the kind of machine politics that makes Americans lose faith in our system. A blatant, undemocratic attempt to hold onto power and block reform. Let Brooklyn Democrats pick their own leaders.”

Brad Lander, Democratic nominee for Congress in NY-10, called for Bichotte Hermelyn to step aside: “The Brooklyn Democratic Party leadership must respect the results of the June elections and the will of voters, not change the rules in a backroom deal in an attempt to cling to power.” Democratic Congressional nominee Mike DeCillis, running in a Republican-held district that includes Southern Brooklyn, added: “We have to be laser-focused to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. The transition of power must be fair and orderly. We have no time to waste when our democracy is on the line this November.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams issued a joint statement: “New Yorkers deserve leaders who are committed to serving their communities, not rewriting rules to hold onto power. Changing the makeup of an executive committee on the eve of a leadership vote goes against what we believe in as Democrats and should not move forward.”

Assemblymember Brian Cunningham, who represents a district including Flatbush, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and Crown Heights, posted: “Brooklyn voters made their choice in June, and any effort to preserve the current leadership by rewriting the rules now would be a direct rejection of that choice. We cannot ask voters to trust the Democratic Party while disregarding their will when it becomes politically inconvenient. The values we defend in public must also govern how we conduct ourselves within our own party.”

City Councilmember Crystal Hudson posted: “Why worry about Republicans trying to steal elections in battleground states when we have Democrats stealing elections right here in Brooklyn?”

New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs said: “the timing of this change stands to do more damage than good… The focus of the Committee should be to defeat Brooklyn’s various Republican elected officials presently aligned with the MAGA agenda of Donald Trump.”

NYC Comptroller Mark Levine issued a statement: “Such a drastic change to the governance structure of the Brooklyn Democratic Party should only be made by the party leaders who primary voters just elected in June.

We are 10 weeks out from the General Election. It is not an exaggeration to say that the fate of our democracy is on the line. Our entire focus should be on winning races up and down the ballot in November, not on internal power struggles.”

A number of clubs and organizations also condemned the proposed changes, including New Kings Democrats, Citizens Union, Indivisible Brooklyn, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, Brooklyn Young Democrats, Latino Democrats of NYC, Bay Ridge Democrats, and Independent Neighborhood Democrats, among others.

See New Kings Democrats' previous statement on the proposed rules changes here.