June 26, 2012: Which Way, Bed-Stuy?

Bed-Stuy residents:

We are exactly one week away from the demcratic primaries on Tuesday, June 26, a race between Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and City Councilmember Charles Barron for the 8th Congressional District seat.

In the area of fundraising, Jeffries definitely has reigned, having raised more than $250,000 so far with more than $400,000 cash on-hand, compared to Barron, whose handlers have yet to announce how much -- if anything -- sits in his campaign coffer.

In the area of endorsements, Jeffries seems to be the darling: The Washington Post recently called Jeffries “.” The Times editorial page strongly endorsed Jeffries and the next day, so did the New York Post. Also, Jeffries has secured very , including most recently, the Carpenter’s Union announced just today. 

Yet, with so many cards seemingly stacked in Jeffries’s favor, .

Barron may not have the nods from the most powerful unions, the media and big-money backers, but his very hands-on, grassroots campaigning and advocate-for-the-underdog approach still resonates with his core constituency in East New York, Brownsville and parts of Bed-Stuy—people Barron has been building the trust of and relationships with for more than a decade before Jeffries arrived on the scene.

Barron secured the backing of the Harlem-based Amsterdam News, DC1707 and DC37, New York City’s largest municipal public employee union. Additionally, a large part of Bed-Stuy’s voting block – seniors and the elderly – may have been handed right over to him, after the district’s incumbent Ed Towns (who had the elderly vote on lockdown) .

Still, what’s happening in Central Brooklyn may have little to say about which way voters will swing in other neighborhoods composing the newly drawn 8th C.D., such as Mill Basin, Coney Island and Howard Beach.

In fact, by some estimates, this year's Democratic primary race, could be a close call, a toss-up for Jeffries and Barron.

So, Bed-Stuy residents, which way will you vote?