Brooklyn Democrat Justin Brannan appeared on “Mornings On 1” Wednesday, just hours after declaring victory over Republican Ari Kagan in the race to represent City Council District 47.
Spectrum News and The Associated Press projected Brannan the election winner after he obtained 58.5% of the vote Tuesday.
In his interview, Brannan reflected on his campaign: “We ran as underdogs from the start. We didn't take anything for granted.”
"Running from behind, or running scared, as they call it, is how you should be because you don't take anything for granted, and frankly, this is a job worth fighting for,” he said. “This is the dream job. It's the best job in the world. So, fighting like hell to keep it is what I'm proud of.”
Redistricting forced Brannan and Kagan, two incumbents, to run against one another in a district that now includes a significant number of registered Republican voters. Though, Brannan said he was committed to reaching across party lines.
“I personally knocked on about 3,000 doors,” he said. “I think people are so used to politicians that just want to hear the sound of their own voice. But when someone knocks at your door and just says, ‘Hey, I just want to hear from you, tell you what's going on. Tell me what you're feeling out here.’ I think that paid off.”
In response to his defeat, Kagan shared a message on social media, saying, “Though we didn’t achieve the result we wanted, I am proud of our campaign. We sent a powerful message that Southern Brooklyn strongly supports law enforcement, lower taxes & merit-based education. Lucky to have a wonderful family & so many supporters.”