Bklyn Republican Michael Novakhov Faces Scrutiny Over Past Democratic Ties: Is He a Socialist in GOP Clothing?

Bklyn Republican Michael Novakhov Faces Scrutiny Over Past Democratic Ties: Is He a Socialist in GOP Clothing?

Edited by: TJVNews.com

As was reported by The New York Post in January 2023, Michael Novakhov, a Republican Assemblyman from Brooklyn, made waves the prior year with his unexpected victory over longtime Democratic incumbent Steven Cymbrowitz. This is a district in which many constituents have a strong history of voting Republican due to shared experiences of fleeing communist oppression. However, The Post report indicated that recent revelations about Novakhov’s political past have sparked controversy and raised questions about whether his true political allegiances align with the party he now represents.

Born under Soviet rule, Novakhov escaped the oppressive regime in Russia and immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Brooklyn, where he built a successful career as a radio entrepreneur. However, The report in The Post confirmed that city Board of Elections data revealed that for years, Novakhov was a registered Democrat, only switching his party affiliation to Republican in August 2020, just before announcing his candidacy for office.

This revelation has caught the attention of both political observers and his constituents, many of whom have deep personal and ideological connections to anti-communism and conservative values. The Post report explained that the district Novakhov represents—Gravesend, with parts of Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach—includes many who fled the former Soviet Union, seeking refuge in a society free from socialist and communist ideology.

Adding fuel to the controversy are Novakhov’s past campaign contributions, as revealed by Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Over the years, he was a frequent donor to Democratic candidates, with no recorded donations to Republicans. As per the information provided in The Post report, of particular note is his $170 contribution to Bernie Sanders during the 2016 presidential race—an eyebrow-raising fact for a politician now affiliated with the Republican Party.

Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, represents a sharp ideological contrast to mainstream Republican values, particularly in a district where memories of life under socialism remain fresh. Also pointed out in The Post report was that the donation to Sanders has led some to question Novakhov’s authenticity as a conservative, raising the possibility that voters may have unknowingly elected a politician whose views are more aligned with the political left than they realized.

Despite his Democratic past, Novakhov ran a successful campaign against Cymbrowitz, securing high-profile endorsements from notable GOP figures such as gubernatorial nominee Lee Zeldin, Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, according to the information contained in The Post report.  Even the Brooklyn Conservative Party threw its support behind him. These endorsements gave Novakhov significant credibility within the Republican base, which propelled him to victory in a district that leaned more conservative in recent years.

However, even with strong GOP backing, some of Novakhov’s public positions have raised eyebrows within his party. On his campaign website, Novakhov listed “social equity” as one of his core issues, a term that is more often associated with progressive platforms. Additionally, The Post report said that he has been critical of Mayor Eric Adams’ plans to address violent homelessness in New York City’s subway system, stating that the initiative should have included mental health professionals. This stance has led some conservatives to question whether his views truly align with their expectations of law-and-order policies that typically define GOP candidates in urban areas.

In response to these revelations, Novakhov’s spokeswoman sought to clarify his political past and his contributions to the Sanders campaign. Indicated in The Post’s report of January 2023, according to the statement, Novakhov registered as a Democrat upon arriving in the United States, a common practice for many immigrants in heavily Democratic New York City.

“Michael was born under Communist rule in Soviet Russia and was able to escape to the United States to build a better life,” the statement reads, The Post report said. “As an immigrant-American he, like many others in his district, registered as a Democrat. He made a number of small dollar donations to the Bernie Sanders campaign, subscribing, with the intention of seeing if the messaging of the campaign to donors differed from that of someone who solely subscribed to a newsletter.”

While this explanation may shed some light on Novakhov’s past political choices, it does little to quell concerns among his Republican base, many of whom feel uneasy about his previous support for a self-identified socialist candidate.

The revelations about Novakhov’s political past present a dilemma for his constituents. Many who voted for him did so believing they were electing a conservative Republican, a staunch defender of capitalist values and American individualism. However, the discovery of his long-standing ties to the Democratic Party, coupled with his support for Bernie Sanders, complicates this narrative.

Novakhov’s re-alignment came at a time when many New Yorkers were grappling with the state of the city under Democratic leadership. In a 2023 statement about his political switch, Novakhov expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s direction, leading to his decision to run as a Republican.

“After years of frustration with the Democrat party and a continuing decline in representation of his district and the city, Michael proudly re-registered as a Republican,” his campaign website states.

However, his post-election actions and long-standing ties to Democratic figures have raised concerns among conservatives who question his loyalty to the GOP.

After taking office, Novakhov appointed Gregory Kirsopp as his chief of staff—a move that drew significant attention due to Kirsopp’s background as a former Democratic donor and staffer. The Post report noted that Kirsopp’s LinkedIn profile shows previous positions with former Democratic City Council members Helen Rosenthal and Mark Levine, both prominent figures in the city’s progressive circles. Kirsopp’s connection to Novakhov has fueled suspicions that the assemblyman’s conservative platform may be more rhetoric than reality.

Kirsopp’s ties to the Democratic Party run deeper. In September 2021, he hosted a fundraiser for then-Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Adams, who was in a tight race against Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. The fundraiser, held at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in Manhattan, featured a minimum donation of $1,500, according to social media posts. As noted in The Post report, Kirsopp shared photos from the event, including a smiling picture with Adams, describing the evening as an “incredible honor.” The event raised eyebrows among Republicans who had expected loyalty to the party’s nominee, Sliwa.

For some Republicans, Kirsopp’s role in Novakhov’s office and his continued association with prominent Democrats appear at odds with the assemblyman’s professed conservative values.

The disconnect between Novakhov’s Republican label and his actions has not gone unnoticed by conservative leaders. According to The Post report, Gavin Wax, president of the New York Young Republicans, did not mince words in his criticism of the Brooklyn GOP for supporting Novakhov. Wax pointed to Novakhov’s past donations to Democratic candidates, including Bernie Sanders, and his connections to figures such as Adams and Kirsopp as proof that the party had made a significant error in backing him.

“The incompetent and disorganized paper organization known as the Brooklyn Republican Party continues to debase itself. They shamefully ran a recent Democrat & Bernie Sanders donor in a Trump district that Lee Zeldin won by almost 20 points,” Wax said, The Post noted.

Despite Wax’s criticism, Brooklyn GOP officials have defended their support for Novakhov, arguing that the party needs to expand its tent to remain competitive in a city dominated by Democrats. Brooklyn GOP leader Ted Ghorra acknowledged Novakhov’s past but emphasized the need for pragmatism.

“When we interviewed him he was a Republican and he was a Republican for nearly two years at that juncture and he changed … because people are fed up with the state of the city and the state of the state,” Ghorra explained to The Post.

This pragmatic approach, however, has not silenced concerns from those who feel Novakhov’s actions undermine the party’s core values.

Further complicating Novakhov’s image is his visible enthusiasm for Democratic figures. Despite his district voting heavily for Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin in the 2022 election, Novakhov made public statements celebrating the victory of Zeldin’s opponent, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, The Post report said. His social media post following Hochul’s inauguration declared, “Proud to have witnessed Her-story being made!!!”

This sentiment was particularly jarring for conservative constituents who saw Hochul’s victory as a continuation of policies they opposed. The post fueled skepticism about Novakhov’s political alignment, as did his public interactions with prominent city socialists such as Council member Chi Osei and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has faced backlash from conservatives for his progressive stance on criminal justice reform.

Novakhov’s social media presence only adds to the contradictions. The Post report also revealed that his personal Instagram account once featured a photo of him wearing a tongue-in-cheek Communist “party” sweater adorned with images of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Joseph Stalin holding balloons. While the sweater may have been intended as a joke, it has done little to assuage doubts about Novakhov’s political leanings.