Lew Fidler on the steps of City Hall.

Councilman Lew Fidler formally announced today that he would be running for the special election to replace Carl Kruger in the State Senate on the Democratic and Independence Party lines, setting the stage for what looks likely to be the most exciting race happening this year before the regularly scheduled elections this summer. Speaking on the steps of City Hall, Councilman Fidler showed off his ability to draw out supporters by amassing a plethora of sign-waving fans and elected officials.

"Let's be honest, in the last year, the citizens of southern Brooklyn in particular have had their confidence jolted twice," Councilman Fidler began, referencing the corruption charges that brought down Mr. Kruger and former Congressman Anthony Weiner's problems with Twitter. "Certainly by his own admission, Senator Kruger has committed acts that violated the public trust, in quite frankly despicable ways."

Mr. Fidler then went onto to promise to restore his neighbor's trust in government and, as he often does when speaking about his campaign lately, outlined his approach to elected office as the four "C's": common sense, communication, character, and chutzpah.

Although the district is currently mostly represented by Democratic elected officials, it has been trending Republican in recent years. GOP Congressman Bob Turner performed exceedingly well here in his own special election last year, with no small part of his winning coalition formed by the district's Russian voters.

And even though Mr. Fidler's Republican opponent, David Storobin, was born in the Soviet Union, the campaign openly made a direct play for the Russian vote at the event. The largest sign at the rally read "Russian-American Community for Lew Fidler: Not even one vote for Republican on March 20th."

Watch the announcement below: