A peek at how CD3 voted
A look at how voting precincts in the Third Congressional District voted in the 2022 race and the 2024 special election. Credit: Karthika Namboothiri, TC McCarthy
Daily Point
The mapping of the Red and Blue
Even at a quick glance, Newsday’s maps comparing Third Congressional District voting in 2022 and 2024 are stunning in their reversal of political fortunes. Republican turnout decreased and Democratic turnout increased across large swaths of Nassau and Queens counties.
In Tuesday’s special election, Democrat Tom Suozzi overwhelmed Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip, flipping many election districts won by Republican George Santos in 2022. Communities in the towns of Oyster Bay, North Hempstead and Hempstead turned blue and some that were bright red are now a softer pink, reflecting a much smaller GOP margin.
On the North Shore, only the Great Neck peninsula, which Pilip represents as a county legislator, stayed bright red. In parts of Hicksville, Bethpage, Massapequa, Farmingdale, and Levittown, areas where Santos won some spots with over 65 % of the vote, the GOP margin was reduced by 10 to 15 percentage points.
Santos, whose expulsion from Congress created the need for a special election, defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman in 2022. Democratic areas in Syosset, Woodbury, and Glen Cove that Zimmerman did carry two years ago turned a deeper blue than before, seeing increases of up to 10 percentage points.
Take a look here at the 2024 map created by The Point’s data journalist Karthika Namboothiri and the 2022 map for comparison. The preliminary data from the Board of Elections in both Nassau County and New York City likely will be certified next week after Tuesday’s deadline for counting military and absentee ballots.
— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com
Talking Point
L.I. security pro looks to oppose Gillibrand
Michael Sapraicone, the former New York City detective who founded a successful global security firm, told The Point he’s seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate this fall against Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand.
Sapraicone, who was passed over for Mazi Melesa Pilip by the Nassau GOP for the nomination in Third Congressional District special election, has the support of Nassau GOP leader Joe Cairo and Suffolk chairman Jesse Garcia.
Sapraicone, 68, of Glen Head, is hoping to garner the support of other county leaders before the state GOP nominating convention next week in Binghamton. After a recent screening with Conservative Party officials, he is expecting to get their nod as well.
“It’s certainly going to be a challenge. I am not that well known, not even in Suffolk County,” said Sapraicone. “But she’s not that well known, either,” he said — a shot at Gillibrand, who was appointed to the Senate in 2009 by Gov. David Paterson to complete the term of Hillary Clinton and since has won three elections.
Sapraicone, a good friend of former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, said he hoped to be the first “Republican, Long Islander and Italian American” representing New York since D’Amato was defeated in 1998 by Chuck Schumer. Sapraicone, who has an office in Uniondale next door to D’Amato, said he consulted with his political role model, who was the first to endorse his effort to get the House nomination that eventually went to Pilip.
“He told me to do it,” Sapraicone said with an easy laugh.
Sapraicone hopes to raise $5 million for his campaign and thinks a tough-on-crime message from a former NYPD member will resonate this year, just as it did in 2022 during Lee Zeldin’s surprisingly strong run for governor against Kathy Hochul.
Before Tuesday, Sapraicone had said he was considering a run against Suozzi in November if Pilip came up short. The special election was to fill the remaining months of George Santos’ term; that seat is on the ballot again in November.
Sapraicone, who was at the GOP election night party to wait for the results, said dislodging Suozzi so soon would be “a tougher path” to Washington than the one he now hopes to take.
— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com
Pencil Point
Signs
Credit: PoliticalCartoons.com/Dave Granlund
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Programming Point
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