Democrat Joe Biden, Republican Donald Trump win New York presidential primaries

Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump won the New York presidential primaries Tuesday, after already clinching their parties’ nominations.

Biden and Trump won the contests on a day when voters were few and far between at polling sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Biden already had secured 2,610 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August, while Trump had 1,686 to the Republican National Convention in July.

With nearly all election districts reporting, Biden had 91.5% of the vote statewide in New York's Democratic primary, according to unofficial results from the state Board of Elections.

Trump had 82% of the vote statewide in the GOP primary.

But there were signs of dissatisfaction with both Trump and Biden.

Republican Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who had suspended her presidential campaign, had 12.9% of the GOP primary vote. Chris Christie, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, had 4%, while Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur, had 1% of the vote. Both Christie and Ramaswamy had suspended their campaigns.

On the Democratic side, Marianne Williamson, a self-help author, had  4.9%, and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who suspended his campaign, had 3.6%.

Trump and Biden also won primaries Tuesday in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, according to The Associated Press.

On the Republican side, Trump won New York's 1st Congressional District with 86%; the 2nd with 89%; the 3rd with 85.63%; and the 4th with 85%. Biden's total in the 1st was 93.5%; 91% in the 2nd; 92% in the 3rd; and 93.65% in the 4th.

On a rainy Long Island Tuesday, participation was low at polling places in schools, libraries and community centers.

With the general election matchup all but assured, Long Island voters said they were motivated to show support for either Trump or Biden.

In Suffolk, the Riverhead Free Library had a steady pace of its usual patrons on Tuesday afternoon — children bound for story time, seniors returning stacks of books and several people working on their taxes.

Turnout was in the single digits by midafternoon with nine voters. Far more library patrons stopped by to snag a free pair of eclipse sunglasses than to vote.

One library visitor, Laura Boyd, of Manorville, said she planned to vote at her polling place in Riverhead.

Boyd, 74, said she understood why some voters, including her husband, sat this primary out.

But she always votes in primary elections and this one is important to her, she said.

“I want democracy to last,” Boyd, a registered Democrat, said. “I don’t want to see it go down the drain. I don’t want a dictator.”

In Nassau, the Brooklyn Avenue Elementary School polling site in Valley Stream had only three voters who'd cast ballots as of 3:45 p.m. 

Steve Gavin, 57, of Valley Stream, was the fourth. He said inflation and the border crisis were top of mind as he cast his ballot for Trump.

“I think he'd do a better job than what we have right now.” said Gavin, who voted for Trump in the 2020 election. 

Local party officials said Trump and Biden had a strong base of supporters on Long Island.

Jay Jacobs, chairman of the state and Nassau Democratic committees, said: “I think Long Islanders in general are fed up with extremism on both sides and are looking to elect candidates like Joe Biden who tack more strongly toward the center.”

Joe Cairo, chairman of the Nassau Republican Committee, said local Republicans were “very enthusiastic” about Trump, “even as this primary was already decided.”

“It’s like going to the 7th game of the World Series when we know that New York has already won it in six games,” Cairo said.

Diane Denesowicz emerged from East Elementary School in Long Beach into the pouring rain around 3 p.m. after casting a primary vote for Biden. Denesowicz, 66, a retired advertising executive, said she wasn’t aware of the primary until she heard about it in the grocery store and decided she needed to vote

“I just always have to say I voted,” Denesowicz said. She said her main issue is “just keeping Trump out of the office.”

Jeanette Pesco, of Peconic, said it was “important” to carry out her civic duty, though the names on the ballot were all too familiar.

Pesco, 70, said she’s concerned about Social Security and Medicare benefits. “I don’t want that to go away,” she said.

The Democrat cast her ballot for Biden and said she was “not happy” with Trump.

Biden “has a lot of experience, he gets a lot of things done, and he’s not out talking about himself all the time,” Pesco said. “He has plans and he follows through.”

Moments later, Mary Dewey, of Southold, voted for Trump.

“We need a little change,” she said. “Our options are few, but we’ll try it again.”

Dewey, 82, said immigration and crime were top concerns.

“It’s not people that need help coming across the border that concerns me,” said Dewey, a Scottish immigrant. “Of course we need to help them. It’s naughty people coming across that has to stop.”

Dewey said she’s drawn to Trump because he “followed through” and was tough on crime.

“It’s just that we have to take his cellphone away from him,” she said with shrug and a laugh.

The Republican National Convention will take place in Milwaukee from July 15-18, while Democrats will hold their national convention from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.