With June primaries approaching, council members consider election night lessons in Surf and Sun

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Most of the city council’s 51 members flew to Puerto Rico for the annual political meeting, even when Tuesday’s election polls were still on.

Between pool parties and pina coladas, of course.

The short turnaround is thanks to this year’s once-in-a-decade redistricting process. This means that the 2021 elected city council member’s term has been shortened by two years to his term, and another election in the newly elected constituency has been officially approved. just a few weeks ago.

And despite Gov. Kathy Hochul’s victory over Rep. Lee Zeldin, Tuesday night Republicans win around New York It gave the mostly blue council members something to ponder in the tropical sun.

Most people expect a challenger in the June primary and the November general election. This takes into account the city’s generous 8-to-1 Matching Campaign Financing Program (which makes it easier for candidates without ample funds or large funders to run for public office) and short tenure. is.

“The nature of the system makes it attractive to do,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine told THE CITY of the city’s campaign finance program. It gave out a record number of matching dollars last year.

Newly drawn district boundaries also mean that some city council members have entirely new districts in their districts, with only a few months of outreach for voting.

“For my new district, I want to get to know the people there as soon as possible and see what their needs are. somos political conference It was held in Puerto Rico after Election Day.

The 2021 City Council Primary Election has broken records in terms of candidate numbers. In some constituencies he had more than a dozen contenders. This is also thanks to new ranked choice voting and an increase in matching funds.

We’ll find out in the coming months if all of these challengers will try again next year.

“We’re going to think between voting for ranked options and the fact that elections are so close. [last year] I think they’re trying to run again,” Alderman Justin Brannan, a Brooklyn Democrat, told The City.

Petitions for the June 2023 primary will begin in March.

red shift

Despite Hochul’s win on Tuesday, some lawmakers saw changes in long-standing Democratic districts.

south of Brooklyn, Three members of the House are poised to lose their seats to Republican challengers.Other elected candidates have been saying for years that their approval ratings in those areas are declining.

“I was literally here [at Somos] Referring to his close race with Republican Brian Fox in the 2021 general election, Brannan said.Brannan finally won After absentee ballot count. (Fox ran again this year and lost Against Senator Andrew Gunardez in Brooklyn’s 22nd Ward. It overlaps much of Brannan’s council district.

They and other elected officials are warning of tough elections for Democrats in their districts and city-wide.

Parts of Brooklyn are experiencing a “tectonic shift” in terms of political allegiance, he said. But it’s also done elsewhere in the city.

“I don’t think people understand or realize how important the Republican Party has become in my part of Queens,” city councilor Linda Lee told The City. , Bellerose, Fresh Meadows and Queens Village represent the eastern borough.

Her district, which remained relatively unchanged in the new map, Last year’s mayoral race against Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa I also strongly endorsed Zeldin this week. It’s also next to the Republican Council District, which is headed by Vicki Palladino.

“I think [the Democrats] We need to make sure we strategize, understand, unite as a party, and figure out how we will deal with it.

“What do we stand for?”

Upper West Side City Councilman Gale Brewer, a long-time elected official after serving eight years as president of the borough of Manhattan, said Democrats had seen some of the local losses and re-did their outreach and messaging. I said it needs to be evaluated.

“It’s not ‘We hate Republicans,’ it’s ‘What do we stand for?'” she told The City.

“I think people are nervous not only about public safety and the economy, but also about school and jobs…they are nervous about everything,” she said. she said.

“So you have to be able to see them where they are, or I think people will react.”

Republican Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli, from Staten Island’s South Shore, said the gubernatorial results serve as a “heat map” of where they could potentially win more seats. Five of the 51 members of the Republican Party are currently enrolled.

“If you find a red and pink blotch, go there,” he told The City of Republican support around town.

“There are many positive signs for Republicans in the city, and we are not going to back down,” he added.