Democrats plot to pick off Hempstead seat in rare even-year race

Democrats are hoping to pick up a second Hempstead Town Board seat in the Republican stronghold, as former Nassau Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams and former Republican legislative aide Chris Schneider vie to succeed the late Christopher Carini.

Carini died on July 14 at age 49 after suffering a heart attack while visiting family in Florida. Carini, a Seaford Republican, had represented Hempstead's 5th Council District since 2019.

Schneider, of Seaford, was sworn in Tuesday. He and Abrahams will have to run in the Nov. 5 election to fill the balance of Carini's four-year term, which runs through 2027. Abrahams, of Freeport, retired last year after 21 years in office, and after the majority Republicans in the Nassau County Legislature approved new legislative lines.

The contest to fill Carini's term will coincide with the presidential election as well as races for the House and Senate.

Most races for town board take place in odd years, when Republican turnout tends to be higher than Democrats' turnout. There is only one Democrat on the six-member council: Deputy Supervisor and Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby.

Democratic turnout swells in even years, when federal and state races are on the ballot. Jay Jacobs, chair of the state and Nassau Democratic committees, predicted Abrahams would benefit from the rare even-year town race.

"The turnout is going to be north of 70%, where normally in council races, which are held in odd years, you're in the mid-20%," Jacobs said. "Democrats tend to vote more regularly in even-year elections than they do in the odd ones which ... now will work to our advantage."

Nassau Republican chair Joe Cairo said the presidential race may have an effect, but he expects Schneider to win because voters want a "cost effective government" and the quality-of-life services that Republicans provide.

"There's always a downballot effect and to some extent there are coattails," Cairo said. "But this is a very sophisticated electorate in Nassau County, and they don't just vote party line, obviously, they vote for the candidates based upon what they stand for and what the issues are."

Rare even-year race

Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation moving most local races from odd years to even years, beginning in 2026. GOP-run municipalities have sued to invalidate the law. 

Republicans argue that local issues will be drowned out when town and county races are on the ballot with federal and state contests. But Democrats say local races should occur when voter turnout is the highest.

Michael Dawidziak, a Sayville-based political consultant and pollster who primarily works with Republicans, said the race should be "very competitive."

"The Democratic turnout definitely picks up and probably levels the playing field for that district in a presidential year," Dawidziak said.

In November, Carini beat Democratic challenger Jasmine Pena by a margin of 61%-39%. 

"This is the year they [Democrats] can run at it, particularly when you're on the November ballot and everybody's coming out to vote for president," Dawidziak said.

A 'tough race'

Schneider, who served as a spokesman for Republican state senators, said he’s running to continue Carini’s legacy of helping constituents access agencies and services, "whether it's connecting them with information about different programs or bringing programs into communities."

Schneider, director of media relations at the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, said that he views "every race as a tough race."

"I am going to work extremely hard. I take nothing for granted," he said. "I'm going to run hard, and I am going to work to earn people's trust."

Abrahams said he considered the timing of the election before deciding to run.

"The election being this year, in November, with it being a presidential election, it's obviously a big factor," Abrahams said. "You're going to have more people come out than you normally would have in an odd year."

Abrahams, who works as director of regulatory and process management for Northwell Health, said he wants to bring transparency and a spirit of compromise to the Republican-dominated town board.

"I'll be ready to serve on day one without a learning curve because of my 20 years' experience in the Nassau County Legislature," Abrahams said.