Kagan: "I Will Not Endorse Republican Candidate"

Ari Kagan called a few minutes ago to say emphatically that he will not endorse Republican candidate Patricia Laudano in the 46th District Assembly race, whether or not he ultimately decides to sue in court to overturn his narrow loss to Alec Brook-Krasny in the Democratic primary.

Kagan also denied specifically that he or his campaign ever spread rumors that Brook-Krasny was arrested while living in Moscow--something Krasny had asserted to rubyjewsday.com-- and stressed that it was Brook-Krasny who had attacked him on his activities in the Soviet Union—specifically his Communist Party membership and attendance at the Lvov Military and Political School—and not the other way around.

According to Kagan; “I am a Democrat who is fighting for the Democratic nomination for the 46th District Assembly seat and will never endorse this or any other Republican. I am a loyal Democrat—vice chairman of the Highway Democratic Club—and I certainly don’t share (Laudano’s) views.” Kagan stated, “ If I decide to challenge the primary results in court based on the many irregularities that took place at the polls but the court declines to order a new primary election--or if I decide not to go to court at all--then I will call Brook-Krasny and congratulate him. Maybe I will endorse him as well. One thing is for sure, though—I will not endorse the Republican.” Kagan said his lawyers are still considering whether to sue and, now that the Board of Elections has officially certified Brook-Krasny’s victory, he has eight days to make a decision whether to challenge the result.

Kagan was adamant on another point. “I ran a decent and honorable campaign. Yes, the primary campaign was dirty, but all the dirt all came from Brook-Krasny’s side. It was he who attacked my past. I never discussed his past. He is bitter that he lost Brighton Beach, but that was not due to any smear campaign on my part, but because I have done more in the Russian community than he did.”

Kagan also took this reporter to task for writing that he had a weak electoral showing outside the Russian community, asserting that according to the breakdown of the vote totals, he believes he won predominantly black Coney Island and also ran well in several of the high rise co-op buildings with large populations of American-born Jews. But he acknowledged that he lost several of the biggest such projects—including Brightwater and Trump Village, as well as Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights with their large Italian-American population.

Claiming that he won as much as 70 percent of the Russian vote, Kagan said sardonically, “Krasny said I divided the Russian community, but in fact I united it-- behind myself. And I repeat, no matter what happens, I am not going to go away. I am planning to go on helping the community more than ever before.”