A former longtime Brooklyn pol has taken the extraordinary step of using thousands of dollars from his dormant but still-flush campaign war chest to attack fellow Dems in an internal party feud.
Ex-36-year state Assemblyman Peter Abbate (D-Brooklyn) sent a mailer to voters titled, “Who’s Ruining Our Community” — and featuring accusatory photos of Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, also the Brooklyn Democratic Party chairwoman; Assembly Bill Colton and city Councilwoman Susan Zhuang.
In addition, the mailer takes aim at Lester Chang, a first-time Republican assemblyman who upset Abbate two years ago.
Bichotte, Colton and Chang are all on the November ballot.
“They’ve done a disservice to the community,” Abbate told The Post of his targets, who he claimed helped force him out of office. “I’m not attacking Democrats. I’m attacking people who are helping Republicans win. They are working against Democrats.”
Abbate has a lot of campaign money to burn to make his point — a staggering $846,478 left in his political war chest. He spent $7,000 on mailers from his campaign account, according to a report filed with the state Board of Elections.
Some Democratic Party insiders said they were puzzled that he didn’t spend more of his campaign money in 2022 to try to win re-election.
Democratic Party officials also rapped Abbate for using some of the leftover dough to attack fellow Democrats before the election.
“I never feel it’s productive to have intra-party fights before an election,” said state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs.
A Brooklyn Democratic Party insider said, “It’s definitely inappropriate. He’s very bitter.”
Bichotte-Hermelyn was even more irate.
“With an astonishing $870,000 in campaign funds available during the most important election of our lifetime, Peter Abbate spent thousands of dollars attacking fellow Democrats,” she told The Post on Sunday.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Abbate tried to use the rest of that money to buy a sports car or a nice new house. The former assemblymember is a renowned fraudster whose petitions to run for office were discredited as fraudulent,” she said.
A state judge ruled in April that many of the 2,260 signatures submitted by Abbate and Democratic District Leaders Victoria Kelly and Jimmy Li were invalid and booted them from the party’s primary ballot.
Abbate defended the mailers, saying Bichotte-Hermelyn and Colton schemed with GOPers to disqualify him from qualifying for ballot status to run again, smoothing the way for Chang’s re-election.
“It’s disgusting. Rodneyse only cares about herself,” Abbate said.
He said the lack of party support is why he lost to Chang in the 49th District in Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Borough Park and Sunset Park and why Democratic Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz lost to Republican Michael Novakhov in 2022 in the southern Brooklyn’s 45th District, which ecompasses Sheepshead Bay, Midwood, Manhattan Beach, Gravesend, and Brighton Beach.
“They’ve weakened the Democratic Party in this part of Brooklyn,” Abbate said of his Dem foes.
Bichotte-Hermelyn, head of the local party, did not respond to a Post request for comment.
