Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes — incensed that corrupt former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Clarence Norman played an active role in his stunning primary defeat last month — changed his mind and will actively campaign on the Republican and Conservative party lines in a bid to keep his job, his spokesman told The Post on Thursday.
“The DA is making a formal announcement Tuesday to lay out the reasons for his decision to continue the campaign,” said DA spokesman Jerry Schmetterer, who has taken time off to serve as Hynes’ campaign spokesman.
Schmetterer confirmed that a fundraiser held Wednesday night in a Bay Ridge restaurant raised about $150,000 for his boss’ reelection battle.
The 24-year incumbent Hynes was trounced by former federal prosecutor and political newcomer Ken Thompson in the Democratic Primary in September. Thompson won 55 percent to 45 percent.
Hynes is eager to keep his job because of allegations – first reported by The Post – first reported by The Post – that Norman rallied support for Thompson in central Brooklyn, Schmetterer said.
Hynes got a conviction against Norman in 2007 on extortion charges in a scheme related to selling judgeships that sent the former assemblyman and powerbroker to jail.
Thompson has repeatedly denied any connection between himself and Norman.
“We put Norman in jail, and Thompson put him on the payroll,” said a source close to Hynes.
Following his primary defeat Hynes said multiple times that he would not actively campaign in the general election. The defeated incumbent even said he’d set aside office space for Thompson’s transition team.
While many prosecutors were nervous about Thompson, others were critical of Hynes’ change of heart.
“Ugh. Seriously? Let’s just move on already,” one ADA said about the Hynes decision.
Thompson spokesman James Freedland bashed Hynes’ decision to continue his run.
“It’s sad that Mr. Hynes refuses to accept the will of the people, as he repeatedly pledged to do last month,” said Freedland.
But a Hynes campaign strategist said their candidate had a good shot.
“We’ll get the entirety of the Republican party and a good percentage of the Democrats that have been with him over the last 24 years,” said Brad Gerstman of Millennial Strategies, a firm hired by the Hynes campaign.
Another top Brooklyn Democratic operative said he, too, thinks Hynes has a good shot.
“If he can really hold the Right coalition together, he can win. He really can,” he said. “I think a lot of Democrats are unhappy [with Thompson winning] and realize they should have voted in the primary.”
The source also said we should expect the GOP and Hynes to heavily play up the Norman-Thompson connections.
But an independent political analyst said Hynes had a snowball’s chance.
“Having lost the primary, the odds are really against him … It’s time to go to, Joe,” said Doug Muzzio, a public affairs professor at Baruch College CUNY.
Hynes has $24,000 on hand and owes almost $35,000 – not counting the cash he raised Wednesday, according to his post-primary filing.
Thompson has $70,000 on hand but his campaign owes him $500,000 he loaned the campaign during the primary, according to his most recent filing.
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile and Rich Calder