It wasn’t just Virginia and New Jersey last night. In Nassau County, on Long Island, Republicans ran the table yesterday. Republicans haven’t carried Nassau at the presidential level since 1988, but it’s the sort of suburb where the party needs to at least be competitive, and for many years it was famously run by a Republican machine, the vestiges of which still stand.
Last night, in campaigns focused heavily on taxes and crime, Republicans ousted the county executive, Laura Curran, in favor of town councilman Bruce Blakeman, by a 52.3 percent to 47.7 percent margin (Curran has not conceded and is holding out hope for late absentee ballots) and won the district-attorney race behind Ann Donnelly against Todd Kaminsky, by an overwhelming 60.2 percent to 39.9 percent margin. Donnelly’s campaign hammered Kaminsky on bail reform.
Republicans also won races for Nassau County comptroller and county clerk, Hempstead town supervisor and town clerk, North Hempstead town supervisor and town clerk, Oyster Bay town supervisor and town clerk, and mayor of Glen Cove — every executive-branch race on the ballot, as well as 27 out of 38 legislative races.
In Suffolk County, Nassau’s redder neighbor at the end of the Island, Republican Ray Tierney ousted incumbent Democratic district attorney Tim Sini, and Republicans flipped at least four seats to take control of the county legislature.