Brooklyn Democrats Endorse Miller
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The Kings County Democratic committee voted last night to endorse the speaker of the City Council, Gifford Miller, in his run for mayor.
The endorsement, the first from any of the Democratic county organizations, is not a big surprise, partly because of the bad blood that has existed between the Democratic front-runner, Fernando Ferrer, and the head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Clarence Norman Jr.
Still, it offers badly needed outer borough support for a Manhattan candidate who is trying to reach beyond his Upper East Side district to boost his lagging poll numbers. Mr. Miller, who as of last month had raised more money than his three Democratic rivals, has won endorsements from council colleagues, but his campaign has not gained much traction with voters.
In 2001, when Mr. Ferrer, who is Puerto Rican, was running for mayor and trying to create a coalition of black and Latino support, Mr. Norman, who is black, snubbed him and endorsed his opponents. The tension has persisted.
The endorsement is also significant because another mayoral hopeful, Rep. Anthony Weiner, represents parts of Brooklyn in Congress.
Political consultants said support from a Democratic county organization can’t be written off. “It’s a big win for Gifford,” said one consultant, Scott Levenson. “It’s not one that people necessarily expected to be in his column. It’s a pick up.”
Still, the party itself is split, which will probably dilute the value of the endorsement in primary votes. While Mr. Miller has secured backing from some Brooklyn elected officials and community leaders, Brooklyn Reps. Edolphus Towns, Major Owens, and Nydia Velazquez are endorsing Mr. Ferrer.
Some in the Brooklyn club, who declined to go on the record, said Mr. Norman, who is scheduled to go on trial later this month for allegedly misusing campaign funds and pressuring judicial candidates to hire political consultants, wanted to make an endorsement now in the event that his leadership is jeopardized and he has to step down. Most of the other Democratic county organizations seem poised to wait until at least next month before jumping into the fray.
The vote in Brooklyn last night was 21 for Mr. Miller, 5 for Mr. Ferrer, 3 for the Manhattan borough president, C. Virginia Fields, and 2 for Mr. Weiner.
