DEMOCRATIC DUEL
Sheepshead councilman eyes fellow Dem’s congressional seat
BY JESSICA PARKS
Sheepshead Bay’s Democratic
City Councilman
Chaim Deutsch is considering
a bid for United States
Congress, which would pit
him against incumbant Democratic
Rep. Yvette Clark, according
to a report from Gay
City News.
Clarke, whose district
spans a large portion of Kings
County — including Park
Slope, Sheepshead Bay, Midwood,
and Flatbush — was
fi rst elected to the lower chamber
of the nation’s legislative
branch in 2006, and narrowly
won a primary reelection to
progressive challenger Adem
Bunkeddeko during the June
2018 primary elections.
Deutsch’s candidacy would
present a starkly different
type of opponent for Clarke,
having described himself as
a “conservative Democrat,”
and racking up a voting record
that has angered many
within the activist wing of
the party.
Recently, for example,
Deutsch drew criticism from
some left-leaning voters for
opposing pro-LGBT policies
— including a bill that would
outright ban conversion therapy
in the fi ve boroughs, arguing
that people should have
a “choice,” according to Gay
City News.
Deutsch also opposed the
Mayor’s scheme to close Rikers
Island prison complex and
transfer detainees to smaller
jails spread across the city —
which nonetheless passed the
City Council in October.
The orthodox Jewish politician
also garnered headlines
last month when he joined
protesters in Gravesend in
calling for the resignation of a
Community Education Council
22 board member who referred
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to Asian students as
“yellow” in an email thread
that circulated to parental
boards throughout the city.
Deutsch was fi rst elected
to the 48th Council district
— which encompasses Sheepshead
Bay, Manhattan Beach,
Brighton Beach, and Midwood
— in 2013, and later won
re-election in 2017.
Now, Deutsch is barred by
term-limits from seeking another
term in the Council, and
is eyeing a seat in the nation’s
legislature, according to an
elected offi cial who spoke to
Gay City News under the condition
of anonymity.
He has yet to fi le with the
Federal Election Commission
as of Thursday, but the unnamed
offi cial told Gay City
News that Deutsch spoke of
his prospective candidacy
during an event on Dec. 5.
Councilman Deutsch declined
to comment on his potential
candidacy.
Chaim Deutsch is reportedly exploring a run for Congress.
Photo courtesy of Chaim Deutsch
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