Democrats sweep local races in southern Brooklyn

Democrats swept four state legislative races in southern Brooklyn, soundly defeating their Republican opponents and taking back ground in one of the few parts of New York City the party had lost their grip on in recent years. 

In Assembly District 46, which stretches from Bay Ridge to Coney Island, Chris McCreight ousted Republican Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny with 56% to the latter’s 44%, according to unofficial results from the city Board of Elections.

In the neighboring Assembly District 45, which stretches from Midwood and Gravesend to Manhattan Beach, Joey Cohen-Saban defeated Republican Assembly Member Michael Novakhov with 62% of the vote – a massive reversal after narrowly losing to him in 2024. 

In Assembly District 49, which stretches from Sunset Park to Bensonhurst, Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie was set to beat Republican Assembly Member Lester Chang with 53% of the vote. 

And in the overlapping 17th state Senate District, Larry He declared victory over Republican state Sen. Steve Chan with 57% of the vote. (Neither Xie or He’s race had been called on The New York Times’ race tracker as of midnight.)

The victories are a big deal for Southern Brooklyn, the diverse collection of neighborhoods below Green-Wood Cemetery, which was largely represented by Democrats not so long ago. Republicans have found increasing success there in recent years as several of its largest demographic groups, Orthodox Jews and Chinese and post-Soviet immigrant families, have shifted to the right. Now, after tonight, Democrats are feeling good again about their standing – especially given the broader implications for the party’s quest for a supermajority in the state Senate. 

“We just cleaned house. For all those naysayers who are always critiquing the Brooklyn Democratic Party, we have something for them,” a jubilant Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said as she traveled from He’s party in Bath Beach to Cohen-Saban’s in Midwood. “We move forward, we do not let anything distract us.”

Bichotte Hermelyn, the outgoing chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, was alluding to the ongoing civil war that’s been splitting the county political machine for months. Two factions of the party have been battling in court over who will lead the party – Bichotte Hermelyn’s hand picked successor, Assembly Member Nikki Lucas, or Julio Peña III, who is aligned with a coalition of reformist district leaders known as Brooklyn Can’t Wait. 

“Obviously we would have loved to not be marred in the court battle right now, but we have been acting as if we are leading and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Peña said at a restaurant in Bay Ridge where fellow coalition member McCreight was holding his election night party. “We’ve been coming out and ensuring people aren’t forgetting about the races here in (southern) Brooklyn.”

“I’m not going to assume what she is thinking,” he added of whether he thinks the evening’s victories may lead to reconciliation with Bichotte Hermelyn. “But I think this speaks to the feeling overall that we are tired of how things are going and want to turn the page.”

Indeed, the party’s ongoing dispute seemed far from the four southern Brooklyn candidates’ minds as the evening rolled on. 

In Midwood, where Cohen-Saban held his election night party, the energy was vibrant, almost overwhelming. The small kosher restaurant picked for the venue filled to the brim as the candidates gave their victory speeches, with cheers interrupting the speakers. The venue was lacking any televisions, where partygoers would typically watch NY1 results roll in, so attendees crowded around phones and laptops.

Bichotte Hermelyn, Assembly Members Sam Berger and Nily Rozic, and Council Member Mercedes Narcisse attended.

“To everyone who voted for me tonight, thank you,” Cohen-Saban said. “And to those who didn’t, I want them to hear this clearly: I did not win a seat for half of this district. I won a seat for all of it, and my door to all those folks is open starting tomorrow morning.” 

Over at the United Progressive Democratic Club in Bath Beach, Assembly Member William Colton and City Council Member Susan Zhuang basked in the fruits of their labor as He and Xie clinched victory. (He is Colton’s chief of staff and Xie is a former community liaison and budget director for Zhuang.) Amid the swell of the crowd, all four balanced precariously on chairs, giving supporters a better view. Glitter tumbled into the air. Chants of He and Xie’s names roared out. 

“250 days, 500 volunteers, 9,000 miles, 100,000 phone calls, 200,000 doors,” He said. “This election is not about me, it’s all of us.”