With the 2022 election in the rearview mirror, the New York Democratic Party is looking for answers, including in Brooklyn.  

While some say Democrats in New York didn’t fare as well as they would’ve liked in the midterm elections, Kings County Democrats chair and Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn says that isn’t entirely the case. 

“Brooklyn had the number one voter turnout across the Democratic line in the entire New York state,” said Bichotte. “So that was truly a big victory for us.” 

Democratic victories in Southern Brooklyn were hard to come by, where Republicans are slated to gain three Assembly seats.  

Some elected officials point to a lack of help from the county’s party machine for those losses, including Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. 

“"What we've seen is we have a state party and a county party in Brooklyn that have done almost nothing for these candidates in the Southern portion of Brooklyn,” said Reynoso. “we need to help these candidates that have been doing the right thing carrying the torch on the Democratic side for us, we need to be helping them.” 

Bichotte is not the only party leader coming under fire, as calls have grown for state Democratic party chair Jay Jacobs to be removed after losses in some Congressional races contributed to a shift in the balance of power.  

Some have filed letter currently signed by hundreds of elected and party officials calling for the removal of Jacobs, but Gov. Kathy Hochul has publicly supported him. 

Bichotte says her next focus is on the City Council elections in 2023.