Does the Crown Heights Jewish Community Have Enough Votes To Elect One Of Our Own?

For decades, Crown Heights residents and the Jewish community have heard the same promises from elected officials: safer streets, low-income housing that large households can afford, and policies that would improve the quality of life for families and lifelong residents. Yet locals throughout the Shchunah feel that these very local leftist politicians have made conditions to become more difficult, with growing concerns over public safety, rising housing costs, and the continuous forced expansion of numerous homeless shelters bringing more emotionally disturbed dangerous individuals and violent criminals to live in the neighborhood.

Now, with the upcoming June 23rd Democratic Primary for New York State Assembly in the 43rd District, an uprising has begun and many residents believe the community is facing a rare political opportunity that could shape the future of Crown Heights for years to come.

One of the biggest political challenges facing Crown Heights has long been the fact that the Jewish section of the neighborhood is deliberately divided into three separate City Council districts because of gerrymandering. As a result, the community’s voting strength has been diluted, making it harder for residents to vote as one united bloc or even hold elected officials accountable at the ballot box.

This year, however, the Assembly race during the Democratic primary presents a different situation.

Political observers expect turnout in the June 23rd Democratic Primary to be relatively low, largely because NYS Governor Kathy Hochul is running unopposed statewide. In 2022, Hochul faced challengers including Congressman Tom Suozzi a moderate common-sense Democrat to the right, and NYC public advocate Jumaane Williams a DSA socialist to the left of Hochul, which helped bring significantly more voters to the polls. This year’s election however, which is also taking place during a non-presidential cycle when turnout is traditionally much lower has no serious state-wide races, which those in previous elections motivated voters to show up to the polls.

Estimates suggest that only 8,000 to 10,000 voters may participate in the Democratic primary across Assembly District 43 (Crown Heights) — roughly 15 percent of registered Democratic voters in the district.

For many in the Crown Heights Jewish community, those numbers are significant.

There are more than 5,500 registered Democratic voters from the Lubavitcher community within the 43rd Assembly District alone. CH activists and Askonim highlight that if the anash voter turnout matches the level of engagement seen during the 2025 mayoral election, the community could have enough votes to decisively influence the outcome of next month’s race.

Past election results demonstrate just how much voter turnout matters in local elections.

In the March 22nd, 2022 special election for Assembly District 43, only 3,283 voters participated. Current Assemblyman Brian Cunningham won that election with 2,074 votes.

Just months later, during the June 28th Democratic primary, turnout rose to 11,237 voters, with Cunningham receiving 6,625 votes to secure a full term. By 2024, he faced no challenger at all.

Supporters of increased civic engagement in Crown Heights believe the unusually low expected turnout this year creates a unique opening for the community to elect a representative Ahron Gluck, more aligned with the community’s concerns and neighborhood priorities.

Many residents see this election as about more than just one candidate. They view it as a referendum on whether Crown Heights can finally break-free and organise politically as a unified force despite years of political division and fragmented district lines.

With early voting beginning June 13th and Election Day set for June 23rd, local organizers are encouraging residents to register to vote as a Democrat, speak to friends and family members, and make a plan to actually show up to the polls and vote.

For many in Crown Heights, the message is simple: opportunities like this do not come around often, and the decisions made in this election could influence the neighborhood’s future for many years to come.

For Crown Heights and East Flatbush residents to vote for a member of anash, Ahron Gluck, in next month’s Democratic primary election, you must be registered to vote as a Democrat: https://e-register.vote.nyc/