Brooklyn Republican Party boss to step aside after tough primary season

Following a bruising primary season, the head of the Brooklyn Republican Party is stepping down with just weeks to go until this fall’s high-stakes City Council elections, the Daily News has learned.

Ted Ghorra, who has served as the Brooklyn GOP’s chairman since 2016, confirmed late Thursday that he plans to vacate his post.

He did not say when his last day will be or offer a reason for his exit, but a Brooklyn GOP source told The News that Ghorra is expected to formally step aside after the party’s reorganization meeting on Oct. 6. In a statement, Ghorra said he expects his executive director, Richard Barsamian, to succeed him as chair.

“I have decided that the time is right to pass the torch,” said Ghorra, whose tenure as chair has included expanding the Brooklyn GOP ranks to include eight elected officials, the most since 1974.

“Rich has been an essential part of our party and worked closely alongside myself, our district leaders and elected officials for the last 6 plus years,” he added. “I am proud of the successes we have achieved and know that under Rich we will continue to build and grow even stronger.”

Ghorra’s exit comes after the party suffered a stinging loss in the GOP primary for the vacant 43rd City Council District, which spans Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights and Sunset Park after being redrawn this year to maximize representation for southern Brooklyn’s Asian-American communities.

Ghorra and other party brass handpicked former NYPD officer Vito LaBella to be their nominee for the 43rd seat, drawing outrage from local Asian-American leaders who argued they should have tapped someone from their community.

Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News

Vito LaBella speaks at a press conference to protest the mayor’s proposed changes to Specialized high school admissions policy at Golden Imperial Palace on 62nd St. on June 4, 2018.

Despite holding the party’s support, LaBella lost the June 27 GOP primary to community activist Ying Tan by just a few dozen votes.

LaBella won the Conservative Party primary, though, and has made clear he plans to still run on that ballot line in the Nov. 7 general election. Typically, the Republican nominee runs on both the GOP and Conservative Party lines.

LaBella’s decision to stay in the race could hurt Tan’s chances and benefit the Democratic candidate, Susan Zhuang. The 43rd is considered one of the most competitive races this Council election cycle, and was seen as ripe for a GOP pick-up before LaBella’s primary loss.

One of the only other competitive Council elections this fall is the race for the neighboring 47th District, which includes Bay Ridge and Coney Island.

The GOP nominee in the 47th race is incumbent Councilman Ari Kagan, who switched party affiliation from Democrat to Republican late last year. He’s facing off against sitting Democratic Councilman Justin Brannan, who currently represents the 43rd but is running in the 47th due to the redistricting.

Brannan holds a major fundraising edge in the 47th contest, and a disillusioned Brooklyn Republican Party source said Ghorra has not done enough to back Kagan.

“Ted Ghorra was absent every step of the way, not a part of the Kagan campaign, or for that matter the Brooklyn GOP whatsoever, it felt like,” the source said. “With contentious City Council races this year in Brooklyn … this entire situation has been a calamity.”