Brannan’s home club revels in his primary win

President also praises his chief Democratic opponent

September 18, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Chris McCreight, president of the Bay Ridge Democrats, says the club members worked hard to help Justin Brannan will the primary. Photo courtesy of McCreight

Share this:

The grass-roots political club that primary winner Justin Brannan helped build from the ground up took time out to celebrate his big win last week but then quickly got back to work trying to get the Bay Ridge community activist elected to the City Council.

Chris McCreight, president of the Bay Ridge Democrats, sent out an email to hundreds of the party faithful praising Brannan for his big win in the Democratic primary in the 43rd Council District on Sept. 12.

Brannan, former chief of staff to outgoing Councilmember Vincent Gentile, will face Republican John Quaglione, who won the GOP primary last Tuesday, in the Nov. 7 general election.

The 43rd Council District covers Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights and includes parts of Bensonhurst and Bath Beach.

“The Bay Ridge Democrats endorsed Justin, worked hard for him, and we could not be happier with the result. We look forward to continuing our momentum for another victory in November,” McCreight wrote in his email.

McCreight was full of praise for his candidate and the successful primary campaign he ran.

“Justin was everywhere all the time. He never slept. He knocked on doors in every corner of the district and was at a subway stop practically every morning since April. This energy and passion did not surprise voters who knew Justin. This is the Justin Brannan they have known, a hard worker unafraid to do the less glamorous stuff,” McCreight wrote.

But McCreight also had kind words for Brannan’s chief primary opponent, the Rev. Khader El-Yateem, a Palestinian-American church pastor who came in second.

El-Yateem, who like Brannan, was making his first try at public office, “had a literal army of volunteers” who knocked on doors and worked hard to appeal to voters, according to McCreight.

“As to the candidate himself, those who knew him or of him before the campaign should not be surprised that he was able to connect with so many voters, especially new. It is my sincere hope that he continues to connect with voters, not just for this November election but for future elections going forward. The Democratic Party stands to benefit from his and his supporters’ energy and core values,” McCreight wrote.

Brannan topped his closest rival in the Democratic Primary, El-Yateem, earning 3,561 votes to El-Yateem’s 2,879 votes.

Gentile, a Democrat who has represented the 43rd Council District for 14 years, is term limited and cannot run for re-election. Gentile endorsed Brannan.

The victorious Brannan garnered 38.8 percent of the total number of votes cast. El-Yateem, also making his first try at public office, earned 31.3 percent.

There were three other candidates in the Democratic primary. Nancy Tong, Democratic district leader of the 47th Assembly District received 1,459 votes (15.9 percent), while Vincent Chirico, a Dyker Heights attorney, had 707 votes (7.7 percent) and Kevin Peter Carroll, Democratic district leader of the 64th Assembly District, had 583 votes (6.3 percent).

Quaglione, deputy chief of staff to state Sen. Marty Golden, was the big winner in the Republican primary for the Council seat, beating three candidates: Liam McCabe, former community aide to U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan; Bob Capano, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice; and Lucretia Regina-Potter, Republican district leader of the 46th Assembly District.

“In the upcoming days and weeks, Justin Brannan’s campaign will be ramping up a general election campaign like nobody has ever seen before,” McCreight vowed.