Brooklyn District 35 City Council Race: Where Things Stand

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — With five weeks remaining until the June 22 primary elections, the stage is set for candidates in Brooklyn's 35th District to finish the race.

Seven Democrats are in the running to replace term-limited Council Member Laurie Cumbo, who serves as the City Council Majority Leader. The candidates will face off in the June 22 primary election.

In the coming weeks, Patch will publish the results of question-and-answer forms sent to each candidate, shedding light on each person's policy priorities.

With no polling available for the race, it's impossible to know how each campaign is faring. A look at fundraising and endorsements, however, can provide some clues.

The Candidates

First, a brief recap of who's running in the Democratic primary:

• Renee Collymore: Collymore served as a district leader between 2012 and 2014 and names affordable housing, homelessness, police accountability and the reallocation of resources to social programming as priorities in her campaign.
• Curtis Harris: Harris is a former member of Brooklyn's Community Board 8 and the founder of the Green Earth Poets Cafe and a former accountant.
• Michael Hollingsworth: A Crown Heights native, Hollingsworth has been a tenant organizer since multi-million dollar condos threatened to replace his own rent-stabilized building in 2016.
• Crystal Hudson: Hudson is a former staff member for Cumbo, has served in a senior role in the New York City Public Advocate's office, on Community Board 8 and on the board of the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, North Prospect Heights Association and New Leaders Council.
• Regina Kinsey: Kinsey is a director at the Crown Heights North Association and a member of Community Board 8, where she is the vice chair of the Seniors Committee.
• Deirdre Levy: Levy is a special education teacher at a public school in Prospect Heights. She lists affordability, food and nutrition in New York City has her campaign priorities.
• Hector Robertson: Robertson is a tenant activist, including with the Washington Avenue Botanic Block Association (AKA - WABBA) and the Crown Heights Community Council (CHCC).

The Money Race

With nearly double the amount of private donations than any other candidate, Hudson is in the lead in terms of financing with a total of $274,106 in combined private and public funds, the latest filings show. She has brought in nearly $114,000 in private donations and received the maximum $160,444 in matching public funds.

More than 17 percent of Hudson's donations have come from outside New York City, the most of any candidate in the race, according to an interactive map outlining contributions.

The only other candidate qualifying for the maximum public funding is Hollingsworth, who has raised a total of $237,232 in combined private and public money, according to the filings. His private donations stand just under $77,000.

Hollingsworth also has the most money left in the bank of any candidate with a nearly $156,000 balance, records show. Hudson has just under $138,000 left to spend.

Only two other candidates, Harris and Kinsey, have received public funding, with $66,000 and $43,000, respectively. Harris has raised about $17,000 in private donations and Kinsey has brought in just under $9,000.

Collymore has brought in the third-most private donations of any candidate with just over $24,000 of private funding, records show.

Both Levy and Robertson have around $7,000 raised.

Who's Endorsing Who

Only three of the candidates include a section on their website dedicated to endorsements.

Perhaps the most impressive is Hudson's, which includes more than 70 organizations, labor unions, elected officials and community organizers. Among the most high-profile backings are U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke and organizations like Indivisible Nation, BK Black Lives Caucus, New York Immigration Coalition Action and the New York League of Conservation Voters.

Hollingsworth has 25 organizations and elected officials on his list, including former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon and a line-up of newly elected state legislators who were, like him, endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

The only other candidate with endorsements listed on their website is Kinsey, who lists a backing from the NYPD's largest union, the New York City Police Benevolent Association.

Collymore's website includes video testimonials from local residents.

The open seat in District 35 is one of more than 30 across the city, as term limits will install new members in nearly two-thirds of the City Council's 51 seats.

Patch will have ongoing coverage of the City Council race ahead of the June 22 primary, including candidate responses to the issues raised in our neighborhood survey.

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Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.