Brooklyn Councilman Ari Kagan will challenge Justin Brennan in the 2023 general election
Brooklyn City Councilman Ari Kagan has apparently decided to give the borough's Democrats an old switch. On Monday, Kagan announced he was switching political parties from Democratic to Republican and running against fellow Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan in the general election.
"Over the last few years, in my personal humble opinion, the Democratic Party in New York has moved leftward at such a rate that they can't even keep up with it," Kagan said. “And every year, every month, I began to feel that it wasn’t me who was leaving the Democratic Party, but the Democratic Party was starting to leave me.”
In particular, the councilman said there is a growing gulf between him and his fellow Democrats on issues such as crime and education. He pointed to the council's push to end solitary confinement and a bill that would end landlords' ability to check the criminal background of potential tenants as examples of their alleged failure to address public safety concerns. During the press conference, Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) welcomed Kagan to the Council Republican Conference, highlighting the party's recent electoral victories in southern Brooklyn, where it won three Democratic Assembly seats.
“We are happy to have him as a part of our conference,” Borelli said. “And I think he will do a great job for the people of this county.”
By switching to the GOP, Kagan - who has served in office for less than a year since first being elected in November 2021 - will face Brannan in the general election on November 7 next year, that is, if he first wins the GOP primary in the same district. Kagan is not the only south Brooklyn Democrat to switch parties in recent years. Future Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny served in the Assembly for several years as a Democrat but last month defeated Assemblymember Matilda Frontus as a Republican. Brannan, who has served on the council since 2017 and chairs its powerful Finance Committee, had some strong words Monday morning about Kagan's decision to join GOP.
"I never thought he would sell his soul and become a Republican," Brannan said. "Look, we all make decisions in life, and he thinks this is the best decision for him. But it's puzzling because he can just run against me in the primary, he doesn't have to become a Republican. He has a history of buying seats. "I think he's run in four different districts in his career. So he doesn't seem to stand for anything or believe in anything."
Source: AMNY Newsletter
