NYS elections board disqualifies primary challengers for Gillibrand, Sapraicone

ALBANY – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican candidate Mike Sapraicone appear set to avoid intra-party primaries after the state Board of Elections disqualified a number of would-be challengers from the ballot for failing to obtain a sufficient number of valid petition signatures.

Those challengers could try to get a state court to reinstate them. But for now, the field is clear for Gillibrand and Sapraicone to face off in November.

The Board of Elections also disqualified a challenger seeking to force Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) into a Republican primary in the Suffolk County-based 2nd Congressional District.

It also tossed four would-be candidates who wanted to run against Michael LiPetri in a GOP primary in the 3rd Congressional District for the right to face Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove).

The four-member Elections Board – two Democrats, two Republicans – booted the challengers after reviews by the board’s staff auditors found an insufficient number of valid petition signatures.

Gillibrand, in office since 2009, could have faced a Democratic primary from Khaled Salem. To qualify, he needed to garner signatures from 15,000 enrolled Democrats, with at least 100 signatures each from 13 of the state’s 26 congressional districts.

The board ruled Salem petition “does not contain the required number of signatures” from at least 13 districts.

On the Republican side, the board said Cara Castronuova, a former boxer and celebrity fitness trainer, submitted 13,698 valid signatures – and about 2,000 invalid ones -- falling short of the 15,000 threshold.

Josh Eisen submitted 15,516 signatures but 14,830 were deemed valid. David Bellon failed to submit 15,000 signatures.

Sapraicone won the GOP’s endorsement at the party convention earlier this year.

In some instances, challengers earlier in the year had received notice that agency staff was recommending disqualification and had attempted – but failed – to get a court to step in.

That was true for four men who wanted to run in the 3rd Congressional District, which covers parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties: Bill Cotter, Gregory Hach, Michael Mandel and Jim Toes. The elections board effectively affirmed those outcomes by designating those candidates “off by court.”

A Hach spokesman acknowledged the board’s action Wednesday was final, adding the campaign was “bitterly disappointing news.”

That leaves LiPetri, a former state assemblyman, to face Suozzi.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Shannon Stephens filed 1,832 signatures, which would have been well beyond the 1,250 needed for a congressional race. However,  682 were deemed invalid by the board, leaving her with 1,150 valid petitions.

County boards of elections in Nassau and Suffolk are slated to rule Thursday on ballot qualifiers in congressional contests, as well as State Senate and Assembly, in districts in which boundaries don’t cross county lines.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy