What began as a spirited fundraiser rally for mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa last week at the Knights of Columbus in Dyker Heights turned into a defining moment for Brooklyn Republicans.
Sliwa energized local supporters at the rally. But the night’s biggest headline came when Brooklyn GOP Chair Richie Barsamian publicly endorsed George Sarantopoulos for City Council District 47. Sarantopoulos narrowly defeated Barsamian in the district’s Republican primary, which was plagued by allegations of voter fraud and caused a rift among local Republicans.
Sarantopoulos officially won the nomination by 16 votes and will face Democrat Kayla Santosuosso in November for the seat currently held by term-limited Council Member Justin Brannan.
Standing before a packed crowd of elected officials, party members and neighbors, Barsamian set aside personal disappointment for what he called a higher mission.
“The primaries are behind us,” he said. “As GOP chair, I say this with conviction: we must all get behind George Sarantopoulos. “Party above politics. We have one mission — to win, to save our neighborhoods, and to save this city.”
“George, you better win,” he added. The two men shook hands and embraced as the microphone passed between them.
Sarantopoulos accepted the endorsement with gratitude.
“Richie and I may have been opponents, but tonight we are allies for a greater cause,” he said. “This city is at a crossroads, and together we will fight to make sure southern Brooklyn’s voice is not only heard but respected. I am proud to have his support — it shows the strength and unity of our party.”
The D47 Republican primary proved contentious even before Election Day. Hours before the polls opened, Republican Council Member Inna Vernikov withdrew her endorsement of Barsamian and threw her support behind Sarantopoulos, drawing criticism from other local Republicans. Tensions rose further after the election, when Sarantopoulos filed a lawsuit alleging voter fraud in the race, which remained too close to call for more than a month. In July, the Board of Elections announced it had found issues with a number of ballots and referred the issue to the Brooklyn District Attorney for further investigation.
Barsamian largely remained quiet when Sarantopoulos was certified as the winner of the race. The symbolism of his endorsement last week was clear: a fractured primary had given way to a unified front ahead of November’s general election. Many local Republicans feel that the only stands a chance at victory if the party stands together across the ballot.
Sliwa appears to feel similarly, and cast his campaign as a “rescue mission” for a city in crisis.
“We are in an emergency — an S.O.C., Save Our City,” he told the crowd. “We have a crime crisis. Crime is crushing us, corruption is suffocating us, and the people in power have failed us. But we have momentum, and we are going to shock the world.”
Sliwa pointed to his campaign’s recent expansion, with new headquarters in Queens and Brooklyn, calling it “a surge of grassroots energy.” He recognized members of New Yorkers First in the audience and urged Brooklynites to vote Republican down the line in November.
“This is a battle for the soul of New York,” Sliwa said. “As goes our city, so goes the state and the nation.”
The rally was hosted by several prominent members of the Brooklyn Republican party, including U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis; state Sen. Steve Chan; Assembly members Alec Brook-Krasny, Lester Chang and Michael Novakhov; and former Council Member David Carr.
Still, it was the Barsamian-Sarantopoulos moment that lingered longest.
As one party member remarked afterward: “Curtis may be the spark, but Richie’s endorsement was the glue. Tonight, the GOP showed Brooklyn and the city that we are united — and when Republicans are united, we win.”
Come November, Sliwa will face Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, as well as incumbent mayor Eric Adams and former governor Andrew Cuomo, who are both running as Independents.
