In the inner world of Brooklyn Democratic politics, Assemblyman Vito Lopez is a force to be reckoned with. The county boss and local kingmaker, he rouses strong feelings in his opponents and loyalty in his friends.
In his own Democratic Primary race in the 53rd Assembly District he won handily against Esteban Duran. But in the District Leader races, where he was strongly pushing his hand-picked candidates, the results were mixed.
In the 52nd AD, Lopez’s choices, Hope Reichbach and Steven Williamson, lost to Jo Anne Simon and Chris Owens. In the 53rd AD, the race has not yet been determined. Lincoln Restler, of New Kings Democrats, was the clear winner beating out Lopez-backed Warren Cohn and Warren Cohn are fighting it out in the recount of this extremely close election.
Kate Zidar who ran with Lincoln Restler for the female District Leader post seems to have lost. She was also backed by New Kings Democrats, a reformist group intent on bringing new faces into the Brooklyn Democratic party.
Restler’s win really puts New Kings Democrats, “a progressive, grassroots political organization committed to transparency, accountability, and inclusionary democracy to the Kings County Democratic Party,” on the map. Formed by vets of the Obama campaign, they are seeking to “Transform local politics.”
Restler told the New York Daily News recently:
I know this may not be that important to you since he lost, but the name of the guy that lost to Vito Lopez is Esteban Duran. Not Baron. Just thought you’d like to know.