BY BEN BRACHFELD
Republican Inna Vernikov
was elected to the City Council
from South Brooklyn’s 48th
District Tuesday night, trouncing
her Democratic opponent
Steven Saperstein in what was
expected to be a close contest,
as Republicans posted strong
showings across the city.
According to unoffi cial results,
Vernikov, a divorce attorney,
held 64 percent of the vote
to special education teacher
Saperstein’s 36 percent with 96
percent of scanners reporting
as of Wednesday, a massive 28-
point margin in what many anticipated
to be one of the tightest
races in the city.
“This is not about me, this
is about the people of this district,”
Vernikov told Brooklyn
Paper at her election night
victory party in Midwood. “I
think this was a loud message
that was sent by this district
to the Democrats, to the progressive
left, that we are sick
and tired of the policies they
have implemented to destroy
our city and our district.”
Saperstein conceded the
race to Vernikov Wednesday
morning, after determining
the margin was too high a bar
to cross even if absentee ballots
COURIER L 10 IFE, NOVEMBER 5-11, 2021
went his way, which he
told Brooklyn Paper he’d been
expecting. He postulated that
a highly charged political atmosphere
led residents to cast
a protest vote for Vernikov.
“There’s no question we’re
disappointed in looking at the
initial results,” Saperstein told
Brooklyn Paper at his election
night party in Brighton
Beach. “We have a great team,
everybody worked hard.”
Vernikov’s strong showing
came as Republicans outperformed
expectations across
the board. The GOP defended
its three seats on the Council,
two on Staten Island and one in
Queens, and may assume up to
seven in the coming Council.
In the 43rd District, Republican
Brian Fox is narrowly
beating incumbent Bay Ridge
Councilmember — and speaker
candidate — Justin Brannan,
50.44 to 49.39 percent with 98
percent of precincts reporting.
Brannan said Wednesday
morning that he “looks forward
to counting every vote.”
In the Coney Island-centered
47th District, Democrat
Ari Kagan is only narrowly
leading Republican
and QAnon subscriber Mark
Szuszkiewicz, 51 to 49 percent,
with 97 percent reporting.
In 2020, Szuszkiewicz nearly
toppled incumbent Democrat
Mathylde Frontus in the area’s
Assembly race, but local
Democratic politicos expected
a stronger showing by Kagan
in the Council district since it
does not include Republicanfriendly
Bay Ridge.
The GOP’s strength in the
city even showed up in districts
they didn’t contest: Borough
Park Councilmember Kalman
Yeger, a Democrat, won reelection
to a second term running
on both the Democratic and Republican
lines, but the Board
of Elections’ tally shows Kalman
Yeger (R) beating Kalman
Yeger (D) by 21 points, with
Kalman Yeger (Conservative)
trailing at 7.69 percent.
The GOP’s strong showing
in the city mirrors its showing
across the country as well,
picking up the gubernatorial
seat in Virginia and possibly
doing the same in New Jersey.
“I think the performance of
the GOP tonight shows us the
people are angry,” Vernikov
said. “They’re angry with the
Democrats, they’re angry with
the progressive left. And this
is what we see coming out.”
While Staten Island Republican
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis
represents a sliver of South
Brooklyn, no Republican
elected had repped only Kings
County in any legislative capacity
since South Brooklyn
state Sen. Marty Golden was
defenestrated by incumbent
Democratic Sen. Andrew Gounardes
back in 2018. No Republican
has represented Brooklyn
in the Council in nearly
20 years, since Golden left his
seat in District 43 in 2002 to
serve in the State Senate.
The 48th District, which includes
Sheepshead Bay, Brighton
Beach, Manhattan Beach,
Councilmember-elect Inna Vernikov
on Nov. 2. Photo by Ben Brachfelt
Homecrest, and part of Midwood,
has normally elected
Democrats to the Council and
other area legislative seats,
but it was one of the strongest
areas in the city for Donald
Trump in his 2016 and 2020
campaigns. That could mean
that conservative voters in
South Brooklyn are abandoning
the Democratic Party and
embracing the GOP, as local
and national civic identities
meld together.
For more on this race and
others, visit BrooklynPaper.com.
Vernikov wins in 48th District
Republican’s win refl ective of strong GOP showing citywide
ELECTION 2021
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