Everything you need to know about Tuesday’s CD 44 special election

To say turnout in a South Brooklyn City Council election next week will be low is probably an understatement. Six days into early voting, a whopping 288 ballots were cast in the New York City Council District 44 race. If the trend continues, that low voter turnout could likely spell a tight race and a long election night come Tuesday for the two candidates running, Democratic state Sen. Simcha Felder and Republican Harold “Heshy” Tischler. 

The two candidates running for the slot, which was left vacant after former City Council Member Kalman Yeger’s election to the Assembly, are looking to represent the purple, largely Orthodox Jewish district which encompasses Borough Park, Gravesend, Mapleton, Midwood, Homecrest and parts of Sunset Park. Though Felder – like Yeger – is a conservative Democrat who has held elected office in the area for years, being the underdog, Tischler could benefit from the area’s noticeable shift in favor of President Donald Trump in 2024. Still untested, however, is whether Trump’s dipping approval rating amid a tanking stock market and incoming trade war, among other things, will shift that voting trend. Either way, low voter turnout could make this race an interesting one to watch on election night.

Here’s what you need to know about the special election for District 44. 

When is the special election happening?

Early voting began on March 15, and will end on March 23. The election is on Tuesday, March 25, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on that day. If you live in the district, find your polling place here. 

Why is the special election happening?

Council District 44 has not had a representative since Jan. 1 of this year, which will soon change next week. The previous council member for District 44, Yeger, vacated his position after winning the Assembly District 41 race in November. That seat was left vacant by Helene Weinstein, who retired at the end of 2024 after more than 40 years in the chamber. 

Who are the candidates?

State Sen. Simcha Felder, a conservative Democrat, is running against Republican Heshy Tischler, an expediter who helps contractors obtain permits with the city and also hosts a conservative radio show, “The Just Enough HESHY Show.”

If elected, this would not be Felder’s first rodeo with City Council District 44, as he represented the area from 2002 to 2010 before making his way to the state Senate in 2012.

Much like the district’s former council member, Felder has run on both party lines in previous elections and models himself as a “champion of common-sense policies.” Broadly, he is calling for increased emphasis on public safety, increasing affordability and expanding access to education to all students in the community, as has been reflected in several of his bills in Albany. 

Tischler is running on the “Trump Team” line (technically, it’s a nonpartisan special election; Felder is running on the “Simcha” line) and is hoping to corral support from the conservative base in the area for a City Council seat. Success in that strategy has eluded him thus far as he has been vying for public office since 2017.  He also has a checkered past – over a decade ago, he was sentenced to a year in prison for his role in a fraud scheme where he acted as a fake sponsor for immigrants seeking jobs in exchange for money. He also pleaded guilty to inciting a riot when he egged on a crowd to chase and trap a journalist in Borough Park during protests in 2020 over COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Tischler is running on a platform seeking better use of police funding to tackle antisemitism, securing more funding for community safety patrols and cutting red tape in government in ways he says are modelled after the Department of Government Efficiency.     

Why should we care?

As if you weren’t already tired of special elections – if Felder wins, a political game of musical chairs ensues. Republican City Council Member Inna Vernikov is reportedly weighing a run for Felder’s Senate seat if he wins the council race. If successful, that would open up a vacancy in her Southern Brooklyn council seat. Former Council Member Ari Kagan is already fundraising for a run in District 48, Vernikov’s current district. Kagan declined to comment when asked whether he would challenge Vernikov even if there wasn’t a vacancy in her council seat. But best believe those two have March 25 marked on their calendars.  

Who has endorsed who?

Felder has received endorsements from the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York and the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition. He has also received endorsements from Yeger, Assembly Members Simcha Eichenstein and William Colton. Tischler, meanwhile, has received an endorsement from Rabbi Chaim Twerski of the Tehilas Yitzchok Loyev Synagogue. 

How is the fundraising going?

Tischler holds a significant edge over Felder in terms of fundraising. As of March 14, the final disclosure deadline before the special, he has raised $46,287, more than five times the amount of money Felder has raised which came in at $8,589. (Felder’s loaned himself another $12,520.) 

Tischler also received larger average contributions compared to Felder, outpacing him $129 to $72. They both have comparable proportions of small-dollar donations (at or below $250), with Felder having all of his contributions as small dollar donations and Tischler sitting at more than 98% of his contributions as small dollars. The majority of campaign contributors to both candidates come from within the city, hovering at around 95% for both and unsurprisingly mostly coming from Brooklyn.

How long will the winner of the special election serve until?

Whoever wins will be on the council until the end of the year. In order to serve a four-year term afterwards, the winner will have to also run and win in their upcoming June primary, and then run in the general election come November of this year. 

There are also two other candidates who have opened campaign accounts to run in the upcoming primary in June for Council District 44. Moshe Fridman has filed to run, though it’s unclear which party’s primary he will run in; Democrat Zahava Durchin is also running.