How a Jewish woman from Ukraine tries to prove that Republicans can also win elections in New York

The Republican nominee has a real shot at winning a seat on the New York City Council from a borough in south Brooklyn. Inna Vernikov, 37, a native of Ukraine of Jewish descent, is fighting in the 48th district against Democrat Steve Saperstein, writes New York Post.

District candidates are vying for the seat of former City Council member Haim Deutsch. He lost his seat earlier this year after being convicted of tax fraud.

The county, which spans Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Homecrest, is home to many Russian-speaking and Jewish immigrants, which increases Wernikov's chances of winning. There are many more officially registered Democrats in the district than Republicans, but voter registration is deceiving - many register as Democrats to vote for primaries, but end up supporting the Republican candidate in the main election. Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden in this constituency in last year's presidential race.

And now many assume that Vernikov can win the race for a seat in the city council, thanks to the votes of Russian-speaking voters.

Democrat-turned-Republican

The atypical nature of this race lies in the fact that Vernikov is a democrat who has become a republican. At the same time, Saperstein ran for the council from the Republicans in 2017, and then moved on to the Democrats.

Vernikov - staunch defender of Israel's interests... She also said she will fight to restore NYPD funding. She pledges to advocate for student merit-based education and will push for a ban on homeless shelters near schools.

Vernikov openly declares his support for Trump.

“I voted for Trump. He was the best president for Israel and Jews, ”she said. At the same time, her opponent Saperstein refused to answer who he voted for in the presidential race.

She is supported by former State MP Dov Hikind, a conservative Democrat she previously worked for. Hikind is a frequent supporter of Republicans and is respected by a large number of Jewish voters in southern Brooklyn.

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Vernikov says he wants to be a voice against the left wing of the Democratic Party. She called the growing opposition to the Jewish state among Democrats "very troubling."

Vernikov against compulsory vaccination

Both candidates announced that they will focus their attention in the city council on the main problems of voters.

“My first priority as a board member is to propose a bill to resume funding for the NYPD,” Vernikov said.

Vernikov, who has her own legal practice, said she would defend the interests of small businesses. She opposes “turning restaurateurs and retail stores into health police” by forcing them to enforce public health orders, in particular COVID-19 vaccinations.

“I am opposed to compulsory vaccination requirements,” she said.

Vernikov believes that the decision on whether to get vaccinated should be a personal one. The candidate believes that people should be given the right to regularly get tested for COVID-19, instead of being vaccinated if they do not want to get an injection.

On education, Vernikov said she will fight to expand the choice of schools for parents and students. Including the promotion of religious and independent schools, as well as traditional public schools.

Threat to Democrats

Vernikov suggested that her candidacy posed a threat to the Democrats. Therefore, some may be involved in foul play to thwart her campaign.

The candidate recently filed a complaint with the police, claiming that someone had hacked her Facebook and Instagram accounts. Facebook shut down her accounts, blocking content that the network's algorithms deemed "objectionable," and claiming the 37-year-old candidate was too young to have an account.

Vernikov said she never posted inflammatory or false information on social media.

“I find it extremely suspicious that on the day I published the information that my opponent refused to debate, my Facebook page was hacked, and Facebook itself said that I was too young to have an account on this social network,” said Vernikov.

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Saperstein denies any involvement of his headquarters in the account hacking.

“I'm not going to play along with her drama. Mark Zuckerberg is not on my speed dial, ”he said, referring to the founder of Facebook.

“I take this race very seriously,” added Saperstein.

He stated that he and Vernikov share many of the same beliefs. But he said he was the “most qualified” of the two and added that he “hates the progressive team” of Democrats led by Alixandria Ocasio-Cortez for being hostile to Israel.

"I'm going to speak out against the crazy democrats," Saperstein stressed.