The June 2022 primary was a massive victory for Brooklyn Democrats. The days of a Brooklyn party that just rubber stamps the decisions of the Party Boss are over — the election results make it clear that communities want district leaders who will speak up for them.

Twenty candidates — twelve of them running for office for the first time — ran for unpaid district leader positions as part of the Brooklyn Can’t Wait slate. All of them pledged to increase participation and transparency in our local party. They ran against candidates backed by the party establishment, including a State Senator and many long-term incumbents.

Thirteen Brooklyn Can’t Wait candidates won district leader seats, based on preliminary election results, and only five of them lost to candidates backed by party leaders. This is a significant step toward a local Democratic party that respects, empowers, and includes all Brooklynites. Brooklyn voted for change in our local party, and now we need to help these candidates deliver on their pledge.

We salute all the Brooklyn Can’t Wait candidates, who spent countless hours knocking on doors, working the phones, and explaining why these little-known positions matter. Even those who lost ran powerful campaigns and engaged with thousands of voters, laying the groundwork for future wins. Machine politics, where leaders are picked by the boss and never face an opponent, are no longer the rule in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Can’t Wait is a coalition of ten organizations, endorsed by thirteen local elected officials and candidates, and supported by hundreds of volunteers and donors. In the coming months, we look forward to working with leaders across Brooklyn to build a party that works to improve the lives of all communities and neighborhoods. We are organizing a rally next week where new and current party leaders can share their vision for the future, and start to deliver the transparent leadership we have promised. 

Follow @bklyncantwait on Twitter and Instagram for more details. Thank you to everyone who supported this effort — because of you we have taken a giant step towards a Democratic Party that can rise to the challenges of this moment and mobilize a million Brooklyn Democrats for change.