Central Brooklyn lawmakers put out a rallying cry as they hosted a #StandUpBrooklyn event at St. Francis this week.
Congress members Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan) Yvette D. Clarke (D-Crown Heights, Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Brownsville) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Canarsie, East New York, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach, Coney Island) were looking to mobilize Brooklyn democratic voters while presenting their strategy for the 2018 midterm elections.
Part of the three prong approach to this year’s key races include Voter Contact, Grassroots Fundraising and Cultural Mobilization.
The group is looking to take over key congressional seats including taking South Brooklyn incumbent Congressman Dan Donovan’s (R-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) seat.
“This is a place that we can be competitive. This is a district we can win and is going to be a battleground for us. This is a place we can organize and a place where we can throw out long-term incumbents,” said Kory Kozlowski, North East Political Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
The evening’s theme focused on taking back key Republican seats including New York State Congressional Districts 1 (Zeldin), 2 (King), 19 (Faso), 21 (Stefanik), 22 (Tenney), 23 (Reed), 24 (Katko), and 27 (Collins).
“We can not take anything for granted. The numbers maybe on our side. the wave is coming but it only comes if we get out there and make it happen. So we need your help, we need your help right now, setting up fundraisers, getting out in your districts and meeting voters,” said Adrienne Lever, political director for Swing Left.
A point emphasized by leading Democratic incumbent Velazquez, who has been a staunch opponent of the Trump White House since the result of the shocking Presidential Election of 2016.
“We are watching how this horror movie has evolved. So we all have to work together, stand united, get man power out there and do our part,” said Nydia.
A sentiment shared by Jeffries, who stressed the importance of mobilization and action by individuals looking to make a difference at the federal level.
“We need to out organize, out work, and out raise the opposition. Here in New York State and across the country and the people of Brooklyn can be part of that effort to turn around the House of representatives,” said Jeffries.
Currently the U.S. House of Representatives is made up of 237 Republicans and 192 Democrats.
