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The Brooklyn Democratic Party on Wednesday withdrew its endorsement of Gov. Kathy Hochul. <\/p>\n
File photo by Caroline Ourso\/Courtesy of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul<\/p>\n
The Brooklyn Democratic Party pulled its endorsement of Gov. Kathy Hochul after she chose former City Council speaker Adrienne Adams as her running mate<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The party had voted to endorse Hochul just two days earlier, along with incumbent comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Attorney General Letitia James, who are both running for re-election.<\/p>\n Party chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn called about 25 members of the party\u2019s Executive Committee into an emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon, sources said, excluding members who had not voted to endorse Hochul on Monday. A number of those members were in support of withdrawing the endorsement, said party spokesperson Jin Whang.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no longer a majority of votes from Brooklyn State Committee Members\/District Leaders in the Executive Committee to support the Governor\u2019s re-election,\u201d the committee said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n The committee said Hochul had made a \u201cpolitical miscalculation\u201d and failed to \u201cengage or consult Brooklyn Democratic leaders who represent New York\u2019s largest Democratic delegation\u201d before choosing Adams.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMajor statewide political decisions require meaningful collaboration with the party leaders and elected officials who organize, mobilize and deliver Democratic victories<\/a>,\u201d the statement continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Brooklyn delegation will likely vote against nominating Hochul as the Democratic party candidate at the New York State Democratic Convention<\/a> this Friday, the committee said. The party also does not plan to support sitting lieutenant governor Antonio Delgado, who plans to challenge Hochul in the primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n One committee member, who was not invited to Wednesday\u2019s meeting but listened in with a colleague, said Bichotte Hermelyn criticized Adams and her track record as City Council speaker. The party chair may have preferred another lieutenant governor, they said \u2014 both Assembly Member Brian Cunningham and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez were rumored to be in the mix.\u00a0<\/p>\n The committee member said they \u201cdon\u2019t understand the political goal\u201d of withdrawing the nomination.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what it ends up meaning for Hochul at the state committee meeting, I don\u2019t know that it\u2019s going to make a difference and prevent it from getting the votes she needs at the end of the day to avoid having to do petitioning to get on the ballot,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Withdrawing the nomination simply because the party hadn\u2019t been consulted \u201creeks of kiss the ring mentality,\u201d they said. Another committee member who was in attendance said they supported Adams, and were glad Hochul chose her.<\/p>\n \u201cShe understands what\u2019s going on Downstate, what we\u2019re dealing with in terms of the city,\u201d they said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure of the reasoning behind the Brooklyn Democratic Party decision.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The member said they voiced their opinion in the meeting, and that Bichotte Hermelyn respected their position. With the party\u2019s decision to withdraw the nomination made, though, they said they hope they will be able to work with Hochul if she does win re-election.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a time to ask for meetings, to sit at the table \u2026 so we can iron it out as a community,\u201d they said. \u201cI\u2019m hopeful that the conversation will happen, because there\u2019s no need right now for us to be divided, especially when you have the opportunity for a Black woman to be in the position to deliver for the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Other committee members, though, were critical of Adams \u2014 and of how Hochul made her decision.\n<\/p>\n Assembly Member and committee member Kalman Yeger on social media<\/a> called the announcement a \u201cjoke.\u201d Yeger told City & State<\/a> that he doesn\u2019t \u201cunderstand the choice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important job of the lieutenant governor is to be ready to be governor, if God forbid that happens,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cI wish the governor nothing but good health, but you have to be prepared for these things. There is no one who can say with a straight face that Adrienne Adams is ready to be governor on day one.\u201d<\/p>\n District leader Joey Cohen Saban told the outlet it was \u201cextremely upsetting\u201d that Hochul hadn\u2019t given the party a chance to talk through the announcement, or warn them in advance that it was coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s campaign declined to comment and pointed instead to supportive statements posted by the governor\u2019s political allies \u2014 including Cunningham, who had reportedly been in the running for lieutenant governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe wait is over\u2026Congratulations to Adrienne Adams on being selected as Governor Hochul\u2019s running mate for Lieutenant Governor,\u201d he said on social media<\/a>. \u201cThis is a historic all-women ticket, and her leadership, steadiness, and deep commitment to New Yorkers will serve our state well. Wishing her continued success as this next chapter begins.\u201d<\/p>\n Some local politicians were critical of the withdrawal, taking aim at Bichotte Hermelyn in particular.\n<\/p>\n \u201cNever has a Black woman worked so hard to tear down other Black women,\u201d said Council Member Crystal Hudson on X<\/a>. \u201cThe only political miscalculation is the one made by Chair Bichotte-Hermelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n Council Member Sandy Nurse, referring to Delgado\u2019s running mate, India Walton<\/a>, said having two Black women in the running for lieutenant governor \u201cis a moment that should be celebrated, regardless of personal feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"adrienne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54721320509_1d14e4aad3_k.jpg\")
Hochul on Wednesday selected former City Council speaker Adrienne Adams as her running mate. File photo courtesy of John McCarten\/NYC Council Media Unit<\/p>\n
\n![\"hochul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/008_10.19.24_Erica-Price.jpg\")
Hochul (second from left) with Bichotte Hermelyn (third from left) during a visit to Brooklyn in 2024.File photo by Erica Price\n<\/p>\n