New Kings Democrats is a progressive, grassroots political organization committed to bringing transparency, accountability, and inclusionary democracy to the Kings County Democratic Party. Founded by veterans of the Obama campaign, NKD serves as a training ground for individuals seeking to become more engaged in local politics, and hopes to nurture a new generation of elected Brooklyn Democratic leaders.

NKD connects Brooklynites from across the borough seeking to transform local politics. From activ­ists for social and environmental justice, to advocates for affordable housing and alternative transpor­tation, to leaders in the struggle for immigrants’ rights and civil rights, NKD is building a progressive Brooklyn alliance. NKD facilitates opportunities for disparate organizations to leverage their own po­litical power to achieve their objectives and to effect change across the borough.

Where did we come from?

In 2008 a group of Brooklyn for Barack volunteers, energized by the history-making win for a community organizer, set out to find ways to get involved locally. They reached out to Brooklyn’s Democratic party boss to volunteer their time and energy, only to be gruffly turned away because they weren’t “sent” by someone. Turned off by this insiderism (and, as it turned out later, full-on corruption and sexual harassment), and encouraged by reform champion Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, they founded NKD specifically to fight for an inclusive local party that represented Brooklyn.

Did you know...

• Barack Obama was in the Illinois state legislature for 8 years before he ran for US Senate?
• Joe Biden ran for the Senate from a seat on his county council? 

Sometimes local offices aren’t especially glamorous, but they have a profound effect on our lives and are the farm team of the future!

In the last 10 years, we've...

• Endorsed and/or volunteered for dozens of candidates, from district leader to president. 
• Trained and financially supported progressive community leaders running for local office.
• Held public events that have educated thousands of voters on local issues.
• Recruited hundreds and hundreds of citizens like you to run for our Democratic County Committee.
• Begun developing a policy agenda for a progressive future from the grassroots.

Today, we're...

• Demanding reform at the Kings County Democratic Committee to make it more transparent, participatory, and representative of all of Brooklyn’s communities.
• Recruiting, training, and supporting progressive Democrats on the ballot in Brooklyn... tomorrow’s national leaders.
• Registering, canvassing, educating, and activating voters (and our neighbors who can’t vote!).

• JOIN! Sign up for our mailing list, follow us on social media, pay our modest membership dues, and attend our meetings. 

• VOLUNTEER! The only thing limiting our ambition is the number of boots we can put on the ground when campaigns need them. When you commit to helping us complete one of our projects, you amplify our collective progressive voice, and contribute to real change.

• SPREAD THE WORD! If you’re like us, your friends and neighbors are hungry for political change. NKD is a great resource to educate yourself so you can educate your circles. You’ll be the most popular person on your block on primary days!

• DONATE! We run a lean and mean all-volunteer organization, but we often endorse candidates who are fighting the political machine. We make strategic, targeted donations, and every dollar we can contribute gets a progressive champion closer to holding office.

Next up: meet our leadership team!