Suffolk County Democrats
ALBANY — Democrats on Tuesday seized control of the State Senate from Republicans for only the third time since World War II, flipping as many as four seats on Long Island, according to unofficial results.
Democrats said they rode an anti-Trump blue wave to lead in at least seven races previously held by Republicans, with two more too close to call, and held a hotly contested Democratic seat on Long Island, according to incomplete and...read more »
Letitia James made history on election night by becoming the first African-American woman to be elected attorney general of New York.
James, the public advocate for New York City, also broke barriers as first black woman elected to statewide office in New York, the first woman of any race to be elected as the state’s attorney general, and the first black person to serve in that position.
In a tweet Tuesday night, attorney...read more »
East Hampton Town Councilman David Lys, who was appointed to the town board in January, was elected in his own right on Tuesday, defeating his challenger, Manny Vilar, with a decisive 69.3 percent of the vote.
An unofficial tally on the Suffolk County Board of Elections website had Mr. Lys winning 6,177 votes to Mr. Vilar's 2,728. Appointed to fill the seat occupied by Peter Van Scoyoc following his election as supervisor last...read more »
Update: Democrat Joan Cergol defeated Republican James Leonick Tuesday night to retain her seat on the Huntington Town Board.
In addition, Suffolk Water Authority chairman James Gaughran claimed victory over State Sen. Carl Marcellino, helping shift power to the Democrats in Albany.
And incumbent Town Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman defeated Republican attorney Janet Smitelli.
In other races:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo...read more »
First time candidates Perry Gershon and Liuba Grechen Shirley defeated longtime party veterans for two Democratic Congressional nominations Tuesday night.
With all precincts reporting, East Hampton businessman Perry Gershon had 36 percent of the vote to 30 percent for former Suffolk Legis. Kate Browning, who called Gershon late last night to congratulate him.
Three other challengers had 34 percent of the vote combined.
Former Suffolk County Legis. Steve Stern won a special election Tuesday to become the first Democrat in 40 years to represent the 10th Assembly District in Huntington.
Republicans Doug Smith, of Holbrook, and John Mikulin of Bethpage also won Assembly seats in special elections to fill vacancies.
Stern, 49, of Dix Hills, defeated Huntington attorney Janet Smitelli 59 percent to 41 percent, with all precincts reporting. He will...read more »
ALBANY — Democrats finally won a numerical majority in the State Senate after Tuesday’s special elections, yet a conservative Democrat who says he will continue to sit with Republicans has delayed that victory, even as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo urged him to reconsider.
Cuomo, head of the state Democratic Party, told Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) that Tuesday night’s win by two Democrats to fill vacant Senate seats means he must now leave...read more »
New York State Republicans who fear a blue wave in November found new reasons to worry in the results of Tuesday’s special elections.
Let’s start in the 10th Assembly District in Huntington, where former Suffolk County lawmaker Steve Stern, a Democrat, defeated Republican attorney Janet Smitelli by 18 percentage points. This is a district that has been in GOP hands for 40 years. It most recently was represented by Chad Lupinacci, who...read more »
On Tuesday, Democrat Steve Stern flipped New York’s 10th Assembly District, giving Team Blue their 40th pickup of the cycle.
Stern, an attorney and former Suffolk County legislator, won AD-10 with 59-41 percent (as of press time). While no Democrat has represented this district in the state Assembly for over three decades, Hillary Clinton won this Suffolk-area seat 52-45 and Barack Obama carried it 51-48 in 2012; tonight’s flip...read more »
Suffolk County Democrats have filed a campaign finance complaint against state Assembly candidate Janet Smitelli, alleging the Republican hasn’t fully disclosed some funding sources of her campaign.
Republicans called the disclosure issue nothing more than a routine billing matter and accused Democrats of trying to create a distraction.
It was the latest barbed exchange in the contest between Smitelli and Democrat Steve Stern...read more »