As a political institution, Joe Lentol makes former Rep. Joe Crowley, who was elected to the Assembly from Queens in 1986, look like an amateur. | AP Photo Lentol gets first primary challenge in a decade

ALBANY — Activist and community board member Emily Gallagher will launch a campaign against Assemblyman Joe Lentol on Monday, giving the Brooklyn Democrat his first primary challenge in a decade.

“North Brooklyn deserves a choice of who we’re sending to Albany and who we are having at the front lines of the conversation," said Gallagher, who previously worked as co-chair of a community organization called Neighbors Allied for Good Growth.


“I intimately know the struggle of so many in north Brooklyn because I’ve lived it,” said Gallagher, pointing to experiences like working in the gig economy and struggling to make rent. “I’m ready to take on these fights because they’re really personal.”

Gallagher identifies herself as a progressive who’s planning a grassroots campaign. Candidates matching that description have outperformed expectations in several elections in recent years.

“We’re one of the most progressive communities in the country," she said. "We’re on the front lines of this struggle for a fair and inclusive city, and there hasn’t been a competitive election here in more than a decade.”

Unlike most of the state legislators who were defeated in last year’s primaries, Lentol’s Democratic bona fides have never been questioned. As the longtime chairman of the powerful Codes Committee, he’s often praised by liberal lawmakers for his work on issues like raising the age of criminal responsibility.

Ever since the left began to make noise about challenging Assembly Democrats, however, Lentol’s name has repeatedly surfaced as a possible target, in part because of his support of Airbnb and the willingness of the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, which he co-chairs, to accept real estate money. But at least one group that has played a major role in recent challenges from the left may sit out the contest.

The Brooklyn arm of the Democratic Socialists of America has been interested in mounting a primary challenge against Lentol and interviewed Gallagher and Nadja Oertelt, a DSA member, for potential endorsements, Megan Magray, coordinator for NYC-DSA’s Brooklyn electoral communications committee, said in a text message.

But in a recent meeting, the Brooklyn DSA electoral working group declined to recommend either Gallagher or Oertelt for endorsement, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported. The electoral working group did recommend candidates for four other primary challenges throughout the borough. (Two more votes must take place before any candidates are officially endorsed.)

A source in the Brooklyn DSA said there were concerns among some members that both Gallagher and Oertelt may not reflect socialist values enough to generate grassroots enthusiasm for their campaigns. The organization is also weighing how much capacity it has to support local elections.

Despite the apparent setback for Gallagher and Oertelt, the Brooklyn DSA is leaving the door open for a primary challenge against Lentol.

“Candidates are still moving through the endorsement process, and we’re leaving open the possibility of endorsing a candidate in Lentol’s district,” Magray said.

The incumbent, for his part, expressed confidence, but acknowledged he might be in for more of a fight than in past elections.

“It’s hard to tell,” Lentol said when asked if next year might be more challenging than his past contests. “There have been a lot of changes in the district, so I expect it’ll be harder than it has in the past. … But if you do your job like I do, I’ve gotten around as well as anybody in their business to serve my constituents. It could be a problem with people who don’t know me, but that remains to be seen."

As a political institution, Lentol makes former Rep. Joe Crowley, who was elected to the Assembly from Queens in 1986, look like an amateur. Three generations of Lenti have represented Brooklyn in the Assembly, with his grandfather and namesake winning office down-ballot from Al Smith in 1918. The incumbent was elected in 1972, making him the third-longest-serving state legislator in New York’s history.

The incumbent has handily brushed off challengers in the past. He last had a primary in 2010, when he won with 81 percent of the vote — and that was a squeaker compared to the past few general election results in the deep-blue district.

Gallagher's decision to launch a campaign so early in the cycle represents a break from the past.

“We’ve had really a long lineage of the same leadership,” she said. “I think there’s really too much at stake right now to put our democracy on autopilot.”