BRIC

Andrew Gounardes, Democrat for the State Senate

Andrew Gounardes has been chasing Republican State Sen. Martin Golden for a long time.

In 2002, while a student at Fort Hamilton High School, Gounardes worked on the campaign of Democrat Vincent Gentile, whom Golden defeated to assume the Senate seat he has held ever since. In the seven elections since them, Golden has been unopposed four times. On two other occasions, Golden bested Democrats by a 2:1 margin—even though Democrats hold a better than 2:1 registration advantage in the 22nd district, which includes the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend and parts of Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park and Midwood. The only time Democrats nabbed more than 40 percent of the vote against Golden was in 2012, when a 26-year-old Gounardes fell a substantial 10,000 votes shy of victory.

Now, Gounardes, whose day job is as general counsel and special adviser to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, is trying again. In a year when control of the Senate is up for grabs, the stakes of the race are high. But Gounardes’s path is complicated by the presence of Ross Barkan, a journalist and first-time candidate, in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Gounardes joined us on Tuesday on 112BK, the daily news and culture television show and podcast from BRIC. Watch or hear our interview below.