State Senator Simcha Felder Image by New York State Senate

Brooklyn State Senator Simcha Felder notched a victory over liberal challenger Blake Morris in a primary focused on Felder’s role as a Republican-friendly kingmaker in Albany.

Felder, who faced criticism after he held up the state budget in an effort to lessen yeshiva oversight and then continued to caucus with Republicans, garnered more than 60% of the vote after being bolstered by a strong block of Boro Park Orthodox voters.

The race had major implications for the balance of power in Albany. The incumbent has given the Republicans a single-vote majority in the Senate, garnering him enormous leverage, which he has used to help shut down a bill to increase the number of city school zones with speed cameras while demanding there be more armed police officers to protect students.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Morris, who is a secular Jew, had said he hoped a “secret” Haredi vote would help put him over the top.

Some Orthodox apparently felt threatened enough to put out a series of ads around the High Holidays warning of progressive liberal cabal bent on destroying yeshivas.

The primary was switched to Sept. 13 from Sept. 11 after Jewish voters complained about holding the vote during Rosh Hashanah.

A New York Times endorsement touted Morris’ willingness to work with a Democratic majority on issues like fixing the city’s beleaguered subway system and going after corruption in Albany.

They also excoriated Felder for his decision not to follow his fellow Senators in the Independent Democratic Conference in rejoining the party.

But that seemed to be of little matter to some in the community.

“I’ll be honest, this community is probably not even looking at the New York Times. I don’t think anyone cares what they say,” an Orthodox voter in Boro Park told the Forward the day before the election.

Contact Ben Fractenberg at [email protected] or on Twitter, @fractenberg

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount