The Kings County Democratic Party faced infighting Tuesday as progressives in New York’s largest Democratic county organization second-guessed the appointment of a new director with ties to the Republican party.
Andy Marte, new director for the Brooklyn Democratic Party, is being questioned about his ties to the Republican party, including being a registered Republican as recently as 2019, reported by The City. New Kings Democrats, a left-wing progressive faction inside the Brooklyn Democratic Party, worry that Marte’s Republican past affects his ability to support their ideals.
Then Marte registered as a Republican, filed to run for a GOP district leader seat, and re-tweeted lots of MAGA content like this 3/6 https://t.co/xJrBLyC3Bn
— New Kings Democrats (@newkingsdems) February 22, 2022
“Retweeting Trump and sympathizing with Trump’s views is disqualifying,” Brooklyn district leader Jesse Pierce said, according to The City. “What does this Brooklyn Democratic Party stand for if this person is now a top staffer?”
Marte ran as a Democrat to represent District 34 on the New York City Council, but lost to Jennifer Gutierrez in the Democratic Party primary in June 2021. (RELATED: New York Democrats Unveil New Congressional Map That Is ‘Brutal’ For Republicans)
@BPEricAdams, Mayoral Candidate 2021 pic.twitter.com/OzCYZRryXo
— Andy J. Marte (@andyjmarteUSA) October 31, 2019
Marte’s Twitter account shows several retweets from Republicans like former Vice President Mike Pence and current Republican New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. Marte also posted photos with prominent New York Democrats, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Democratic New York State Sen. Julia Salazar told The City that it was worrying for a Democratic party director to be promoting Republicans like Trump who do not support Democrats’ views on immigration.
“If anyone in the party’s leadership has espoused those views before, they need to answer for that,” Salazar said to the outlet.
The Kings County Democratic Party released a statement Tuesday defending their appointment of Marte, despite knowing he had switched party registrations.
“Conflicts of interest with local leadership led him to briefly change his registration, not a difference in values,” the Kings County Democratic Party statement said, according to The City. “His political views are aligned with our national and local parties, and he has in fact run twice as a Democrat.”
The organization pointed to Marte’s long history in the borough as an advocate of affordable housing, calling him “the definition of a ‘grassroots’ activist.”
“While some in the party seek to sow dissent out of self-interest, we try to unify and not throw shade at anyone who may not be in their clubhouse,” the Kings County Democratic Party statement said, according to The City.