Progressive Dems Question Brooklyn Democratic Party Director’s GOP Past

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, a new director for the Brooklyn Democratic Party, is being questioned after his past ties to the Republican party, including being registered to vote as recently as 2019, were 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

New Kings Democrats aim to promote strong, progressive-minded candidates, the antithesis of the information showing Marte’s support for former President Donald J. Trump, according to THE CITY.

“Retweeting Trump and sympathizing with Trump’s views is disqualifying,” downtown Brooklyn district leader Jesse Pierce said, reported 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 against Jennifer Gutierrez in the Democratic Party primary in June 2021. (RELATED: New York Democrats Unveil New Congressional Map That Is ‘Brutal’ For Republicans)

He has experience working as an “experienced non-profit management specialist, political consultant, events coordinators with a demonstrated history of working in the education management, non-profit, and music industry,” according to Marte’s LinkedIn.

@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 New York Representative Nicole Malliotakis. However, it also boasts pictures of him 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 in the past 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. “His political views are aligned with our national and local parties, and he has, in fact, run twice as a Democrat.”

The Brooklyn Democrats pointed to Marte’s long history in the borough as an advocate of the affordable house, 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,” said the Democratic Party’s statement.