Inna Vernikov: Relationships

Dov Hikind

Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind has been one of Vernikov's most significant political patrons. She served as his Special Assistant during his tenure in the Assembly, and Hikind endorsed her 2021 Council campaign . A conservative Democrat who served Brooklyn's Assembly District 48 for 35 years, Hikind has a history of crossing party lines and has endorsed multiple Republican candidates over the decades, including Vernikov . He has described her 2021 victory as historic, noting it may have been the first Republican win in that Council seat in over a century .

Chaim Deutsch

Vernikov received support from former Council Member Chaim Deutsch, the Democrat whose guilty plea on tax fraud charges created the vacancy she filled . Despite being expelled from the Council, Deutsch endorsed Vernikov, lending her cross-party credibility in a district with a heavily Democratic voter registration base .

David Storobin

Before her own candidacy, Vernikov worked on the campaign of former State Senator David Storobin, gaining early experience in Brooklyn Republican politics .

National Political Figures

Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

Vernikov is a self-described supporter of former and current President Donald Trump . During her 2021 campaign, Donald Trump Jr. made a robocall on her behalf . In her 2025 Republican primary, Trump Jr. endorsed her again, appearing in a campaign video praising her as a MAGA fighter and attacking her primary opponent Ari Kagan as a fake Republican . Vernikov met with President Trump in 2022 and has consistently aligned herself with his political brand . However, in December 2022, she publicly called for national Republican Party leadership to condemn Trump for hosting Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago, demonstrating a willingness to break with Trump on antisemitism-related matters .

Elise Stefanik

Vernikov has worked with U.S. Representative and former House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik on the issue of CUNY antisemitism. In July 2025, the two held a joint appearance calling on Governor Hochul to dismiss CUNY Chancellor Felix Rodriguez for failing to hold faculty accountable . Their shared focus on antisemitism at CUNY has formed a substantive working relationship bridging city and federal-level Republican politics.

Republican Caucus

As Minority Whip, Vernikov works closely with the small Republican caucus in the Council, which includes Vickie Paladino (District 19, Queens), Joann Ariola (District 32, Queens), David Carr (District 50, Staten Island), Joseph Borelli (Minority Leader, District 51, Staten Island), and Frank Morano (District 49, Staten Island) . Borelli defended Vernikov during the Brooklyn College gun incident in 2023 . Vernikov and Paladino have traded the Minority Whip role, with Paladino briefly holding it from February 2025 to January 2026 .

Julie Menin

Vernikov's relationship with Council Speaker Julie Menin has been complex. Menin, a Democrat and the Council's first Jewish speaker, collaborated with Vernikov on the antisemitism task force but publicly distanced herself from Vernikov's more incendiary rhetoric. Menin stated in January 2026 that Vernikov was on notice and that repeated inflammatory conduct could result in her removal from the task force . The two have worked together on the legislative package associated with the task force while maintaining a fraught dynamic around Vernikov's public statements about Muslims and Mayor Mamdani .

Eric Dinowitz

Democratic Council Member Eric Dinowitz serves as co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism alongside Vernikov, providing the bipartisan structure Menin sought for the initiative .

Susan Zhuang

Vernikov has worked with Democratic Council Member Susan Zhuang on quality-of-life and constituent-service matters. Both represent southern Brooklyn districts with significant immigrant communities and have co-authored at least one joint op-ed .

Zohran Mamdani

Vernikov has positioned herself as one of the most vocal critics of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, beginning with her October 2025 social media post labeling him a terrorist-lover and continuing through her January 2026 public scrutiny of his appointees' social media histories . She has described Mamdani as very dangerous for the future of Jews in New York City . In November 2025, she sent a public letter inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit New York City on Mamdani's first day in office, directly challenging the mayor-elect's stated intent to enforce the ICC warrant against Netanyahu .

Ari Kagan

Vernikov's 2025 Republican primary against former Council Member Ari Kagan was described by Brooklyn Paper as one of the most heated and polarizing Republican primaries in recent Brooklyn history . Kagan, a fellow Soviet-born Jewish immigrant who had switched parties from Democratic to Republican, challenged Vernikov with the backing of Assembly Members Alec Brook-Krasny and Michael Novakhov and former State Senator Marty Golden . Novakhov publicly criticized Vernikov, claiming she had rejected his overtures for legislative cooperation . Vernikov won by a 32-point margin .

Community and Organizational Ties

Vernikov has relationships with organizations including Americans Against Antisemitism, where she served on the board, and Legion Self Defense, where she served as a chair . She has been active in the Russian-speaking and Jewish communities in her district, which includes neighborhoods with substantial populations from the former Soviet Union .