Third-Party Council Candidate Gets Key Endorsement, Unveils Video Ad

FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — A third-party city council challenger in Flatbush has gained a key endorsement in his bid to unseat long-time incumbent Mathieu Eugene.

Brian Cunningham squared off with Eugene in the Democratic primary but couldn't gain an advantage in a crowded field. With Eugene registering just 40 percent support in that primary, though, Cunningham decided to mount a third-party bid, seeing a path to victory against an incumbent with tepid support.

The influential Working Families Party is now endorsing Cunningham in Nov. 7's general election. And on Thursday, Cunningham released a nearly two-minute ad attacking the incumbent Eugene. (Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see it.)

"What I find with our campaign is it’s really a coalition of residents who believe deeply in our policy ideas, they think sharply of what they’ve seen from the councilmember, and they know that after the primary election that six out of 10 democrats thought the same thing," Cunningham told Patch.

He says the issues he hears most about from voters are rising rent prices and after-school daycare.

Cunningham called the Working Families Party endorsement a "game changer" since the party said they wouldn't endorse someone against an incumbent unless they had significant community support.

"They listened not to me and my own advocacy but the community," he said.

Eugene has held the seat since 2007, when he took over for Yvette Clarke, who was elected to Congress. He is eligible for a third full term on next month's ballot.

Cunningham, a former chief of staff to Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo and aide to State Senator Kevin Parker, thinks he can motivate a stale electorate.

Just a little over 13,000 people voted in the primary out of 75,000 or so registered Democrats in the district, which includes parts of Ditmas Park, Flatbush, Prospect Park and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.

Cunningham has about $71,000 cash on hand compared to Eugene's $134,000, city records show. He has outspent Eugene during the election $101,000 to $64,000, according to those records.

His ad hits Eugene on a lack of bills passed in the council and his record on environmental and women's issues.

He told Patch he thinks he can win, again pointing to the small vote share Eugene got in the primary.

"I am confident again in people who voted for us in the democratic primary, and I’m confident that the people who supported the other candidates wanted change," Cunningham said.

You can watch Cunningham's ad below:

You can learn more about his campaign here.

Image: Youtube Screenshot