Former New York City Council Member Ari Kagan is eyeing a possible political comeback this election season as Brooklyn’s Republican officials look to engage in a series of seat swaps between city and state government.
Reports earlier this month indicated that Kagan, who switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party in 2022, has filed a committee to run for the District 48 City Council seat, currently held by Council Member Inna Vernikov, neighboring his former district.
However, a direct contest between the two conservatives is unlikely. NYC Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola previously told the New York Post that Kagan would officially announce whether he is running in April when Vernikov is expected to announce her candidacy for the state Senate.
According to a source within the Brooklyn GOP, Vernikov’s plans hinge on the outcome of the March 25 special election for the New York State Senate’s 22nd District. That seat is currently held by Simcha Felder, who is running for City Council in District 44 following the election of sitting Council Member Kalman Yeger to the state Assembly in November.
A representative for Vernikov did not return requests for comment on her political plans.
Kagan, currently working with recently elected State Sen. Steve Chan, has remained reserved about his political aspirations. When asked by Brooklyn Paper about his intentions, he stated only that his primary ambition is “to make the Republican Party stronger” in Brooklyn.
Kagan lost his City Council seat in 2023 during a showdown with Democrat Justin Brannan for District 47. The district, which previously included Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Coney Island, and Sea Gate, was rezoned in 2022 to incorporate parts of Bath Beach and Bay Ridge. The changes merged areas from both candidates’ former districts, prompting Brannan, the incumbent in District 43, to run instead in District 47.
Brooklyn Republicans have seen growing momentum in recent years, bolstered by strong showings for President Donald Trump in the borough’s southern neighborhoods. Brooklyn GOP Chairman Richard Barsamian described the party’s increasing presence as “a mandate of common sense and reality.”
In 2022, a Republican wave flipped three long-held Democratic Assembly seats, and the party gained further traction in 2024, unseating Democratic State Sen. Iwen Chu in District 17.
The shift has been driven in part by support from Brooklyn’s immigrant communities, particularly in Latino, Asian, and Russian-speaking neighborhoods with areas such as Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park, and Bensonhurst leaning more conservative, contributing to a GOP stronghold in Brooklyn.
