Two elected officials in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community, Councilman David Greenfield and Assemblyman Dov Hikind, have often tacked in different directions when it comes to their political endorsements but look set to back the same candidate for the new Orthodox Jewish State Senate seat: former City Councilman Simcha Felder.
“Simcha was my chief of my staff for many years and I am excited to hear that he is running for public office again,” Mr. Hikind told Vos Iz Neias?. “One of our recent goals has been to unite behind one candidate who will most effectively represent our community. I am thrilled that Simcha is running for this seat. He is sensitive, extremely intelligent and both passionate and compassionate and I am personally very excited to have him in this race.”
Mr. Greenfield, meanwhile, made it clear he is also supporting Mr. Felder yesterday evening, telling Nachum Segal, “If there’s going to be a ‘Super Jewish’ seat, we need a ‘Super Jew.’ And obviously Simcha’s that guy.”
If prominent Jewish community leaders follow Mr. Greenfield and Mr. Hikind, it could make it harder for other candidates to wade into the race, especially the Democratic primary where the concentration of Orthodox voters would be at the highest.
Democratic Civil Court Judge Noach Dear, whom Mr. Felder succeeded in the City Council some years ago before ultimately being replaced by Mr. Greenfield himself, has been making moves suggesting a possible run and could be Mr. Felder’s strongest primary opponent.
On the Republican side, attorneys David Storobin and Nachman Caller have both directly said they would seek the seat as well. Mr. Storobin may be running as an incumbent state senator if he wins the still tightly contested March 20th special election in an overlapping district.
(As a side note, Mr. Hikind’s backing would likely shut down the possibility of his son Yoni entering the fray.)
