On Thursday afternoon, state Assembly candidate Chris McCreight knocked on doors inside the dilapidated Coney Island Sites 4 & 5 NYCHA housing with a list of Democratic voters who had not already voted early. The narrow hallways were littered with plaster and paint that had fallen from the ceiling.
"These are some of the worst conditions we have," said McCreight, who's running against Republican incumbent Alec Brook-Krasny to represent parts of Coney Island and Bay Ridge.
He would know. McCreight has long been part of the Democratic power structure in Bay Ridge. He's currently a senior advisor to Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, and was previously chief of staff to Councilmember Justin Brannan for eight years. This is his second time running to represent this Assembly district, having lost to Brook-Krasny by five points in 2024.
Though Democrats, including ones McCreight works for, have long represented the area, there's been a swing to the right in recent years. That rightward shift is in a way encapsulated in the career of Brook-Krasny, an immigrant from Russia who switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 2022, when he won the southern Brooklyn Assembly seat. (He had quite the colorful career as a Democratic legislator before then.)
But now, in this potential "blue wave" midterm year, McCreight is one of four Democrats in southern Brooklyn who are trying to flip Republican seats. He sees the entire environment this election cycle as far different from 2024, with voters way more focused on his own race and local issues than when he shared the ticket with the presidential race.