Assemblyman For Crown Heights Yanks Endorsement for BDS Supporting Candidate

by CrownHeights.info

Who you vote for matters.

The Assemblyman for the 43rd District, Brian Cunningham, yanked an endorsement for Yuh-Line Niou, a progressive assemblywoman from Manhattan, over a statement made in an interview supporting the BDS anti-Israel movement.

“I have traveled to Israel and seen firsthand the realities on the ground,” wrote Cunningham in a statement. “I unequivocally oppose the BDS movement, and all that it stands for. I will not support a candidate that fails to recognize Israel’s right to exist by endorsing a movement that seeks to destroy our democratic ally Israel.”

The backlash on Niou, who is running to represent the 10th District which includes the Lower East Side of Manhattan as well as parts of Borough Park, came from comments made with the Jewish Insider where she clarified comments on BDS by saying “I believe in the right to protest as a fundamental tenet of western democracy, so I do support BDS.”

Cunningham, who was endorsed by Crown Heights United in May, won the election for the 43rd District with nearly 60% of the vote, much of it from the Crown Heights Jewish community. He had previously won the seat in a special election after a strong endorsement also by the Jewish community.

Yosef Hershkop, a Healthcare Executive in Crown Heights, welcomed Cuningham’s stance in a post on Twitter. “Sharp and straight to the point,” he wrote. “The Assemblyman I’ve proudly voted for 2x in past half year doesn’t waste any words with his sharp statement.”