(Photo: Facebook)

Assemblyman Rafael Espinal is officially campaigning for the seat belonging to outgoing Councilman Erik Dilan, he told Politicker today. Combined with yesterday's Council announcement by Assemblyman Micah Kellner and Joe Lhota's mayoral campaign, indicators are piling up that the 2013 election cycle is fully underway, up an down the ballot.

"I just think it's a great opportunity to have a direct impact on my communities; in the State Assembly, it's harder to bring resources into our neighborhoods," Mr. Espinal said, adding that his experience as Mr. Dilan's chief of staff will enable him to "hit the ground running."

Mr. Espinal, who won a high-profile special election in 2011, instantly becomes the front-runner for the seat, a majority-Hispanic district spanning the northeastern corner of Brooklyn.

Earlier this week, Mr. Espinal received a boost when his main electoral rival, Jesus Gonzalez, suddenly announced he was no longer seeking the seat. Mr. Gonzalez, who had campaigned against Mr. Espinal for the Assembly gig, was expected to mount a strong challenge and had already lined up some labor support.

"I was definitely surprised," Mr. Espinal said of Mr. Gonzalez's withdrawal, the same reaction experienced by many of Mr. Gonzalez's own supporters. "I had my foot on the gas pedal."

Nevertheless, two other candidates have also registered campaign accounts for the district, according to the city's campaign finance board: Helal Sheikh and the aptly-named Kimberly Council.

(Photo: Facebook)

In another sign the 2013 races are almost fully underway, Assemblyman Rafael Espinal, who first won a relatively high-profile special election in northeastern Brooklyn in 2011, is moving forward with his aim to replace term-limited Councilman Erik Dilan next year and formed a campaign committee for the effort.

"I'm leaning towards running, but the truth of the matter is I just got elected to the assembly," Mr. Espinal told us this morning. "But that option's available. I'm very proud of my record in the record in the State Assembly."

One Brooklyn Democrat told us the plans are even more certain than that and Mr. Espinal is all-but-certain to run.

Regardless, the move would make some sense; before he was in Albany, Mr. Espinal was Mr. Dilan's chief of staff. And the City Council tends to be an easier place for a junior member to effect change than the seniority-dominated State Assembly. “I have a lot of experience there, I worked for Erik for nearly 5 years," Mr. Espinal explained. "Erik has done a great job as a city councilman, and he's built up a lot of momentum for our community."

Another candidate, Jesus Gonzalez, has already declared his campaign for Mr. Dilan's seat. As Mr. Gonzalez was the Working Families Party-backed candidate who challenged Mr. Espinal in his initial special election, 2013 looks likely to be a rematch between the two. Mr. Espinal said it would be "interesting" if that indeed came to pass.

The endorsement would give Espinal significant Get-Out-The-Vote forces on election day, slated for September 13.

The endorsement is not yet official, and Espinal declined comment.

The race to replace Darryl Towns in the Assembly has taken on unusual significance, and is seen as a proxy battle for various powerbrokers in the neighborhood: Congressman Ed Towns, Brooklyn Democratic leader Vito Lopez, and labor interests aligned with the Working Families Party.

Espinal, a staffer for City Councilman Erik Dilan, is close to Lopez.

Espinal also announced today that he was endorsed by the Teamsters Union.

In other news, Jesus Gonzalez, who is backed by the WFP, has been racking up endorsements from local political clubs, having Lambda and Democracy for New York City over the last couple of weeks.

Deirdra Towns, the daughter of Congressman Towns, is also in the race.

Ms. Towns, from her campaign website.

The first round of campaign filings for the 54^th Assembly District gives a glimpse into the proxy battle between three of Brooklyn's power brokers.

Deidra Towns, raised $93,915, the most of any candidate, and also had the most corporate donations with $20,650.

Her father, Congressman Ed Towns, gave $1,000 from his personal account and $3,000 from his reelection fund, and appears to have leaned on some friends in the Congressional Black Caucus.

Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush, South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay Jr. and New Jersey Congressman Don Payne each gave $1,000 from their campaign funds.

Chirlane McCray, who is married to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, gave $250 to Ms. Towns’ campaign. De Blasio won his seat in 2009 with significant help from the Working Families Party, which has backed one of Towns' opponents, Jesus Gonzalez.

Former Democratic District Leader Steve Cohn, whose son Warren worked for Towns, gave $500.

Rafael Espinal, who serves as City Council member Erik Dilan’s chief of staff and is being supported by Democratic chairman Vito Lopez, raised $70,165, with $15,850 in corporate donations.

New York State Senator Mike Gianaris, from Astoria, gave $3,800 from his campaign fund. Angela Battaglia, Lopez’s girlfriend, donated $200. Citizens for Dilan gave $3,800.

Mr. Espinal collected a significant sum from real estate. His largest corporate donation is $4,100 from Green Star Builders LLC.

Jesus Gonzalez raised a total of $78,650 with 405 transactions from individual donors. Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez gave $4,100 from her reelection campaign. District Leader Lincoln Restler donated $250 – and his parents gave $500. City Council member Charles Barron and his wife, Inez, each gave $250. The candidate himself gave the campaign $27.

Courtesy Jesus Gonzalez for Assembly

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Jesus Gonzalez finished a Newport outside his Bushwick office, then ducked to the back with a comb and some gel. He emerged with his close-cropped hair slicked down, and picked up a stack of campaign literature before setting out to knock on some doors.

“It is one of the oldest community organizing tactics,” said Mr. Gonzalez, in an untucked beige polo shirt, an oversized blazer, baggy jeans and shiny patent leather kicks. “Even Jesus’ disciples did it to spread the word.”

Mr. Gonzalez, who goes by the English pronunciation of his first name, Jesus – though some supporters have quietly tried to push the Spanish pronunciation for the campaign – will need some new converts to win the upcoming special election in New York’s 54^th Assembly District.

The district, which comprises parts of Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, Cypress Hills and East New York, cuts across three of Brooklyn’s warring political clans. Mr. Gonzalez is backed by a coalition of Latino community groups and young reformers in North Brooklyn, led by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Running against Mr. Gonzalez in the three-way race are candidates backed, respectively, by two Brooklyn institutions: the borough’s powerful Democratic chairman, Vito Lopez, and its longest-serving congressman, Ed Towns.

“I represent a new wave in politics. I represent a generation called the Hip Hop Generation,” said Mr. Gonzalez, who, at 26, is campaigning for the first time, after nearly a decade working at Make the Road, an influential community group making its first foray into electoral politics. “It’s the bridge that brings together young and old. It’s a breath of fresh air in the political sphere.”

(His personal Facebook page shows photos of Mr. Gonzalez registering voters at a “Hip Hop for Jesus G” fundraiser earlier this month, along with some photos of him competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and a few of him drinking tequila shots at his birthday party.)

His campaign literature proclaims Mr. Gonzalez “The Real Democrat for State Assembly,” a reaction to the fact he won’t actually appear on the Democratic ballot line –which is controlled by the local party chairman, Mr. Lopez – when voters go to the polls on September 13.  Instead, he’ll appear on the ballot line of the labor-backed Working Families Party, which endorsed him last week.

His supporters hope that the W.F.P.’s vaunted field operation and some high-profile endorsements, combined with Mr. Gonzalez’s youthful energy and Make the Road’s new political arm, can deliver him to the Assembly and, in the process, cement a new coalition with enduring power in Brooklyn politics.

“He has charisma, wisdom, dedication, real work in the community,” said T.J. Helmsetter, the Working Families Party communications director. “He is the type of person you actually want in politics. Sometimes in politics you have to ruffle a few feathers when it’s worth it, and this is worth it.”

Mr. Gonzalez is still figuring out exactly how to transition from community organizer to candidate. He practically sprints around the neighborhood as he rings buzzers and approaches prospective voters, mentioning his neighborhood roots at even the slightest opportunity.

On Putnam Avenue, a middle aged woman in Homer Simpson slippers came to the door of a steep-stooped brownstone and, after remarking on Mr. Gonzalez’s youth, asked for reassurance that he won’t be seduced by the office and end up caught in a sex scandal.

“I have a proven track record in the neighborhood,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “I am from here. My father was the Icee man. He now works maintenance at Tompkins Day Care Center in Bed-Stuy. I live just like you and everyone else here.”

Mr. Gonzalez started working at Make the Road when he was 13 – following the example of an older sister who still works for the organization. As one of the founding members of the Youth Power Project, Mr. Gonzalez worked to get other young people from the community involved in campaigning for more neighborhood resources.

In the process, he became a success story for the program. After attending Bushwick Community High School, Mr. Gonzalez received a scholarship to Hofstra University, where he majored in sociology and political science. Mr. Gonzalez returned to Bushwick after college and continued to work at Make the Road.

Last year, Make the Road created a 501(c)4 “action fund,” independent from its core non-profit, that allows the new arm of the organization to raise money for candidates and participate in elections. Turnout for the special election is expected to be particularly low, and the race will be an early measure of whether Make the Road can translate its organizing success into votes.

Mr. Gonzalez’s campaign is largely staffed by people from the organization, many of whom have watched him grow up. Oona Chatterjee, who is currently on leave from her position as co-executive director of Make the Road to run the campaign, met the candidate when he first started with the non-profit as a teenager.

“When he was younger, he was much more of an ‘I don’t trust politicians’ kind of person, and it’s really nice to see his development, because I feel like we were all hoping for that,” said Ms. Chatterjee.

Mr. Gonzalez is still wary of some parts of the process. Before going out to greet voters, he cautioned The Politicker about how his local image might play in the broader press.

“I just want to be careful on how I’m quoted, because we have neighborhood people,” he said. “For example, ‘What’s good, baby?’ To quote that, political insiders aren’t going to understand.”

But the local politicians seem to grasp his appeal.

“I remember Jesus being so young, to see this young person grow up and become the person he has is transformative,” said Ms. Velazquez.  “It’s the hope to find a young person who wants to throw themself into politics.”

“I’m a great campaigner, especially when I know there is a great candidate,” she said. “I’m behind Jesus 100 percent.”

Ms. Velazquez’s congressional district covers about two-thirds of the Assembly district, but Mr. Gonzalez will have competition for the Latino vote. Mr. Lopez’s candidate, Rafael Espinal, is also Latino, and splitting the ethnic vote could help the third candidate -- Mr. Towns’ daughter, Deidra -- who is the lone African-American candidate in the race. (African-Americans make up 33 percent of the district’s voters, and Mr. Towns’ congressional district covers about a third of the Assembly district.)

But Mr. Gonzalez stands to benefit – with both groups – from the long histories of Mr. Lopez and Mr. Towns in Brooklyn’s bare-knuckle politics.

“Jesus is independent, un-bossed and un-bought,” said City Councilman Charles Barron, who ran a primary against Mr. Towns in 2006. “We can’t have people getting elected just because of their last name.”

Mr. Barron is one of the Council’s more outspoken voices advocating for African-American causes, but has shunned Ms. Towns in favor of Mr. Gonzalez.

“I have never even seen Deidra in East New York,” he said. “And Vito, please. I would never support anyone Vito has control over.”

(Mr. Gonzalez recently met with the Reverend Al Sharpton, though a spokesman for the reverend said she was unaware if an endorsement was pending.)

The support from the anti-Lopez camp extends even beyond the district’s borders.

On a recent Wednesday night, Mr. Gonzalez hosted a fundraiser at Bar Celona, a South Williamsburg lounge. His cousin, Jose Lopez, who also works for Make the Road, had hastily arranged what he called an “After Work Celebration!” by Facebook invitation. There were no speeches by the candidate and no elected officials.

About a dozen people milled around, including two Hasidic men from South Williamsburg. “We will be Jews for Jesus,” they said.

A labor lawyer, who has worked with Mr. Gonzalez in the past, handed over a crumpled twenty-dollar bill to the campaign manager, and she looked around for an envelope to put it in.

Earlier this month, local District Leader Lincoln Restler hosted a slightly more lucrative fundraiser at his parents’ Pierrepont Street apartment in Brooklyn Heights, and Mr. Gonzalez’s campaign said on Tuesday that it would report more than $75,000 in contributions, a healthy start for an Assembly campaign.

He also has the support of the New Kings Democrats, an organization of young reformers – including Mr. Restler -- dedicated to chipping away at the entrenched power of Mr. Lopez.

But, for Mr. Gonzalez, it all comes back to the community.

In Bushwick, as he stepped over the open hydrants to reach people sitting on their stoops, a middle-aged man with a clipboard stopped to question him about the bullet points on his flyers.

“Police who respect us,” he read from the literature. “How are you gonna get that from them?”

“I know what it is to get a gun pulled in my face,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “But I also know what it is to get harassed. So just looking for the balance on having safety in the neighborhood but having police who respect us.”

The man nodded approvingly and asked about job creation.

“You go to my opponents, they say, ‘Build Walmart because Walmart brings jobs.’ But they bring shitty jobs,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “So I say let’s bring some good jobs to the neighborhood. What I am saying is this, man, we need an advocate that is from the community.”

“I agree,” the man replied, “for the people, by the people,”.

“I know I represent that,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “Sometimes you plan and it doesn’t work out the way you plan. But, you do know that I won’t compromise those values.”

“You know what’s up,” the man told Mr. Gonzalez.

For now, Mr. Gonzalez’s plan is try to outhustle his opponents.

Around 7 p.m., after two hours of campaigning, he told the staffer walking with him that she could go home. He wanted to pick up the pace.

"I literally jog,” he said. “It's my workout plan."

Keys to the club were stuck on a broken down L train with New Kings’ member and district leader Lincoln Restler, who eventually showed up in a cab, and let the crowd in.

The group was meeting to decide its endorsement in the upcoming special election for the 54^th Assembly District, which was recently vacated by Darryl Towns, who left to join the Cuomo administration—setting off the latest proxy battle over political power in Brooklyn.

On hand was Towns’ sister, Deidra—a candidate for the seat--and their father, longtime Congressman Ed Towns, who Restler acknowledged from the podium.

"I'm here with Deidra Towns, who happens to be my daughter,” the elder Towns told the crowd, before praising Restler.

The race has become something of a referendum on the power of the Towns’ family, with Deidra running against Rafael Espinal, the chief of staff to City Councilman Erik Dilan, who is closely tied to the Brooklyn Democratic chair, Vito Lopez. Last month, Ed Towns lost his own campaign for district leader to Dilan.

"I used to not like politics because my father was never home,” said Deidra, who is running her first campaign. But she also put some distance between her father and her own campaign, saying she still had to knock on doors since “nobody can give me a slot in the Assembly.” She mentioned that she disagreed with her father about Atlantic Yards.

The New Kings have long been hostile to Lopez’s power, and Espinal declined to attend on the grounds that the group’s questionnaire was “prejudicial.”

Jesus Gonzalez, a third—and so far unofficial--candidate, also attended.  Gonzalez has worked as a community organizer at Make the Road for 13 years, a group closely associated with New Kings and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Make the Road recently registered a 501 (c)(4) Action Fund that will allow it to engage more directly in politics, separate from its non-profit organization.

Gonzalez has thrown something of a wrench into the proxy battle Lopez and Towns, and there is some concern among Espinal supporters that he could siphon Latino votes. According to his questionnaire, Gonzalez has raised $26,000, to Deidra Towns’ $50,000.

“I know people might be saying, ‘It looks like he is wearing his father’s suit, looks like he just learned how to put it on yesterday” said Gonzalez, who is 26, and emphasized that his appeal was “fresh blood.”

(The mosquitos buzzing around the un-air conditioned room seemed to agree.)

Amongst Gonzalez’s qualifications, he listed that his father was the local Icee man when he was growing up in Bushwick.

Espinal is expected to be chosen by the county committee for the Democratic line, with Gonzalez pursuing the Working Family Party line, and Deidra Towns running on another line.

The Dilan victory is a show of strength for the Bushwick council member and an embarrassing defeat for the longtime congressman, whose son, Darryl Towns held the position prior to accepting a post as Housing Commissioner under Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The vote also may have implications for the Assembly seat which Darryl Towns vacated to join the administration. His sister, Deidra Towns is running to replace him--against Rafael Espinal, a staffer to Dilan.

The margin of Dilan's win surprised local politicos, and can be read as a sign of strength by County Leader Vito Lopez, who lobbied district leaders on Dilan's behalf in the days leading up to this evening's vote.

Neither Towns nor Dilan were present for the vote. Towns was at an event for his daughter's campaign, while Dilan waited outside until the district leaders summoned him into the meeting after the vote.

The vote, held at the Stars and Stripes Regular Democratic Club in Bensonhurst, was closed to the press.