Last Friday, City & State broke the news that a number of Democratic Clubs were uniting under a common banner, “Brooklyn Reform Coalition” to try and replace Assemblyman Vito Lopez as the head of the Kings County Democratic Party.
However, one of the groups mentioned in the coalition’s press release, the Bay Ridge Democrats, said they’re not part of the intra-Democratic Party feud and apparently there was a miscommunication involved.
“Bay Ridge Democrats were unaware of this coalition and I was surprised that we were mentioned as part of the story,” the club’s president, Justin Brannan, told The Politicker in a statement. “My club has only one focus and that is to elect forward-thinking Democrats who truly represent our community.”
“We are not interested in being considered an anti-County club and we are not interested in waging war on Vito Lopez or the Kings County Democratic Party, ” he added.
Unlike most of the Democratic clubs listed, Bay Ridge Democrats exists squarely in electorally competitive territory where a number of Republicans hold elected office, including Congressman Michael Grimm, State Senator Marty Golden, and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis.
Mr. Brannan said “defeating them is our first and only objective.”
