Brooklyn Democratic Party weakened by corruption scandals

NEW YORK (AP) Weakened by corruption scandals and infighting, the Brooklyn Democratic Party no longer figures centrally in national and local political races and needs an overhaul, party leaders said.

``If I were to describe the health of the party in Brooklyn right now, I'd say it's sick,'' Rep. Edolphus Towns, a Brooklyn Democrat, told The New York Times for Monday editions.

``At one time, you couldn't run for president or anything else without talking with the Democratic organization in Brooklyn,'' Towns said. ``But now, they wouldn't think to come here. And it's because they feel we don't have much strength. So, we're being ignored.''

Brooklyn has more Democratic voters and more Democratic officials than any other county in the nation. But the organization has been reeling since the indictments of its chairman and the executive director in November, said Mark Green, a former New York City public advocate who is co-chairman of Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign in New York State.

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