Suffolk Republicans appear to make gains in write-in primaries

Republicans appeared to have largely unhinged a Conservative-Democratic cross-endorsement deal, winning the Conservative Party line in three out of four write-in primaries Tuesday, according to unofficial assessments by party officials.

Republicans’ biggest apparent win came in the county Legislature's 8th District, where GOP legislative aide Anthony Piccirillo, who lost to Democratic Legis. William Lindsay III two years ago by 244 votes, regained the Conservative line. Piccirillo also appeared to have won the Independence Party line, on which Lindsay got 622 votes in 2017. Piccirillo also has the Libertarian line.

GOP county Legis. Robert Trotta and Kevin McCaffrey appeared to be write-in primary winners in the 13th and 14th districts. Both regained the Conservative line, which they had had in the past.

In a Conservative primary in the 11th District, Jean Manahan, whose candidacy was encouraged GOP Legis. Steve Flotteron, appeared to have defeated Democrat Joseph McDermott, by 69 votes to 38.

Jesse Garcia, Suffolk GOP chairman, attributed the wins to “a combination of hard work by the candidates and … voters responding against the far-left, progressive agenda such as driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants and late term abortion. Liberal Democrats in Albany are ruining the middle class.”

The state Legislature, which Democrats control, this year passed legislation allowing driver's licenses for immigrants living in the United States illegally.

The new Reproductive Health Act allows a woman to get an abortion after 24 weeks if her health is threatened, not just her life, and if the fetus could not survive outside the womb. Under previous state law, abortion was legal during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, but after that a woman could get an abortion only if her life was at risk.

Garcia also praised Piccirillo for “shining a light on the inept, lazy and ineffective Bill Lindsay … ”

In response, Lindsay said Garcia, “should take a look at my calendar and spend a week with me.”

Lindsay said he was confident about the general election. “It means I’ll just have to work hard, which I will,” he said.

Richard Schaffer, Suffolk Democratic chairman, said final votes have yet to be counted, but said Albany Democrats’ “out of control” agenda hurt locally.

But Schaffer downplayed the impact on local Democrats’ prospects to keep their 11-7 majority in the county legislature. “We’re in the same position going into November as in past years when Republicans had the Conservative line and we’ve done very well,” he said.

Schaffer said the campaign against Piccirillo will be far more aggressive this year. “Last time, we didn’t talk about the real Anthony Piccirillo,” he said. “He’s an out-of-control egomaniac who’s far right … ”

Piccirillo declined to respond to Schaffer. But he called his apparent write-in victory a "message to the political establishment that voters will decide what will happen in Suffolk County.”

Major party officials preliminary assessment of likely winners was based on the vote totals of Conservative nominees, and the number of write-ins and absentee ballots.

Before a count of write-ins, absentees and affidavit ballots can begin, voting machines must undergo a state-required random audit of three percent of machine results. Final vote tabulations are note expected to start until after the July 4 holiday.

In the 6th Legislative District, Conservative nominee James Kevins was expected to win the write-in primary for the minor party line. Kevins' candidacy could help Democratic incumbent Sarah Anker in November by siphoning votes from GOP candidate Garry Pollakusky, who had the Conservative line two years ago.