George Sarantopoulos, a candidate for the New York City Council in the 47th district, announced on July 18th that he has officially received the endorsement of the New York Conservative Party and will be running for city council representing the party. Sarantopoulos expressed gratitude to Fran Vella-Marrone, the Chair of the Brooklyn Conservative Party, Jerry Kassar, the Chair of the New York State Conservative Party, and all party members for their recognition of his candidacy.
“I am honored to uphold conservative values and represent the most cherished values of Brooklyn families: safer streets, stronger schools, and higher quality of community life,” Sarantopoulos stated. “This support demonstrates that our campaign is voicing the concerns of voters who believe in public safety, excellence in education, and rational governance. I thank my opponents in the primaries for relinquishing their pursuit of the Conservative Party line, allowing us to unite and stand against the Democratic Party.”
Sarantopoulos further pointed out that with the support of the Conservative Party secured, the election has now turned into a clear “binary confrontation”: with him representing conservative voters advocating for common sense and rule of law; while the Democratic candidate and incumbent Council Member, George Cioffoletti’s Chief of Staff, Kelda Sanzo Sosa, is described by him as “radical left-wing,” aligning with progressive figures such as Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Zohran Mamdani.
“The November election will determine the direction of our city, and Brooklyn voters will make a choice between leadership based on common sense and a dangerous ideology,” he said.
Previously, Sarantopoulos’s victory in the Republican primary has yet to be officially confirmed. In the primary held on June 24th, he only held a narrow lead of 14 votes over his opponent, the incumbent Brooklyn Republican Party Chair, Richie Barsamian. To resolve the ballot dispute and election results, Sarantopoulos filed a lawsuit with the court on July 6th.
According to the “Stipulation-So Ordered” issued by the court on July 15th, the hearing originally scheduled for that day has been postponed to August 5th at 10 a.m. The document states that the preliminary results from the Board of Elections show a vote difference that meets the statutory threshold (0.5% or 20 votes), requiring a full manual recount of all votes. The court will wait for the Board of Elections to complete the administrative process and will schedule hearings and further judicial proceedings as needed.
The agreement between the parties reserves the right to file additional motions or objections with the court as necessary after the election results are determined. The main focus remains on waiting for the recount to be completed to determine the true outcome of the primary.