
PRIMARY CHALLENGE
Controversial councilman will primary Clarke’s Congress seat
COURIER L 24 IFE, JAN. 31-FEB. 6,2020
BY JESSICA PARKS
Term-limited City Councilman
Chaim Deutsch offi cially
announced his run for Congress
on Tuesday, pitting himself
against incumbent Rep. Yvette
Clarke — a fellow Democrat.
“My parents survived the
Holocaust and came to America
with nothing except hope
in their hearts. They taught me
to be selfl ess and help others,”
Deutsch wrote on Twitter. “I’m
running for US Congress to
carry on their legacy.”
Deutsch was fi rst elected to
his Council post — which covers
Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan
Beach, Brighton Beach, and
Midwood — in 2013 and won
reelection in 2017, but now he’s
time-barred from serving another
term, and he’s setting his
sights on Washington.
Clarke currently holds the
congressional seat — which
has jurisdiction over Park
Slope, Sheepshead Bay, Crown
Heights, and Flatbush — but a
number of wannabe Congress
members have already declared
their intention to challenge her
in the 2020 Democratic Primary.
The orthodox Jewish councilman
— who describes himself
as a “conservative Democrat”
— has a track record of
voting against the Democratic
party line, often drawing criticism
from the party’s progressive
factions.
Deutsch drew the ire of liberals
after he voted against a
spate pro-LGBT legislation —
like his opposition to a bill that
would ban conversion therapy
in the fi ve boroughs, because
people should have a “choice,”
according to Gay City News.
The Sheepshead Bay councilman
also opposed a city resolution
to close Rikers Island
prison complex and shepherd
inmates to smaller jails across
the city — which ultimately
passed despite his “no” vote in
October.
Councilman Deutsch fi led to run congress against
Yvette Clarke. Courtesy of Councilman Chaim Deutsch
Clarke has held the seat since since 2013.
Courtesy of Congresswoman Clarke.