Haitian-American Assemblywoman Bichotte Hermelyn will not seek reelection as Brooklyn Democratic Party chair

Haitian-American Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn has announced that she will not seek reelection as chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, bringing an end to more than six years at the helm of the county organization.

Bichotte Hermelyn made the announcement Monday evening during an interview with NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall.”

“I’m now up to my next chapter in life, and I’ve served as the Brooklyn Democratic Party chair for over six years. And I’m very proud of what we’ve done. We’ve built a very strong organization,” she said.

Bichotte Hermelyn said the party's executive committee would be expanded and become more inclusive, allowing more Brooklyn residents to participate.

“So, I’m just really excited that I am leaving the party in that capacity, a stronger, more inclusive, more transparent party and I’m just really excited,” she said.

The announcement follows months of internal disputes over the future leadership and structure of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.

Bichotte Hermelyn became chair in January 2020, succeeding Frank Seddio. She was the first woman and first Black woman to lead a county Democratic Party in New York City.

Her decision not to seek another term comes after reform-aligned district leaders mounted a challenge to her leadership in 2026. Those leaders won 22 of Brooklyn’s 42 district leader seats in the June 23 Democratic primary and subsequently backed a challenge to Bichotte Hermelyn's leadership.

In August, Bichotte Hermelyn proposed changes to party rules that would have expanded participation in county party leadership elections to include county committee officers and former party chairs.

Supporters described the changes as an effort to broaden participation in the party, while opponents argued that they would dilute the influence of newly elected district leaders and help preserve Bichotte Hermelyn's control of the organization.

The rule changes were later challenged in court. A state judge struck them down, and an appellate court on Sept. 29 rejected the revised rules, leaving the party's leadership selection process unsettled.

Bichotte Hermelyn's announcement also comes as Democrats prepare to select her successor.

She has backed fellow Assembly Member Nikki Lucas for the position, while reform-aligned Democrats have supported district leader Julio Peña III.

Despite the competing factions, Bichotte Hermelyn said the selection process would provide an opportunity for other candidates to emerge.

“There will be an opportunity to nominate other people, and there will be a democratic process where people will have a say, and you know, we get to choose who is going to be our next party chair,” she told NY1.

From Assembly challenger to party chair

Bichotte Hermelyn, who is of Haitian descent, first sought elected office in 2012 when she challenged longtime Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs in the Democratic primary for the 42nd Assembly District. She lost that contest 67% to 32%.

Jacobs retired before the 2014 election, and Bichotte Hermelyn won the Democratic nomination in a four-way primary with 48% of the vote. She went on to win the general election with more than 90% of the vote in the heavily Democratic district.

She was sworn into the Assembly on Jan. 1, 2015.

During her tenure in Albany, Bichotte Hermelyn has chaired the Assembly Subcommittee on Oversight of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and was appointed majority whip of the Assembly Democratic Caucus in 2023.

In December 2020, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation sponsored by Bichotte Hermelyn that became known as Jonah Bichotte Cowan's Law. The law established requirements intended to prevent hospitals from turning away pregnant women with a history of health problems.

Her departure from the Brooklyn Democratic Party chairmanship will end a six-year period in which she led the organization while also serving in the state Assembly.

The party must now determine its next chair as the dispute over its leadership structure continues.