Could a Trump rally on LI turn the tide in NY?

Daily Point

LI delegates at RNC hope for a boost from GOP leader

Could former President Donald Trump hold one of his upcoming rallies in Nassau County?

That’s what Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo is hoping will happen in the wake of the convention’s spotlight on New York — and Long Island, specifically.

Cairo and Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia confirmed that before the convention, there were conversations with the Trump campaign about a potential Long Island rally.

"If President Trump is going to carry New York, it’s going to start right on Long Island … and a rally would be beneficial. It would be great," Cairo told The Point, adding that he expects follow-up conversations postconvention. "There’s been some talk, nothing definitive, but we would hope after the convention, there’ll be more."

A Trump rally on the Island, Cairo said, would reflect Long Island’s increasing stature on the national stage — and the resources that could come with it.

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito told The Point that those resources, not only in terms of fundraising but in terms of people knocking on doors, would be critical to Long Island’s three Republican representatives in their reelection campaigns. The fourth Long Island seat is held by Democrat Tom Suozzi.

"I think it shifts to cash and fundraising and it also shifts to excitement and enthusiasm," D’Esposito said. "And sometimes, the excitement and enthusiasm matters even more than the cash."

D’Esposito noted that in 2022, with the help of the party organization, his campaign knocked on nearly 60,000 doors each weekend. After two weekends of reporting those results to then-National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Tom Emmer, Emmer showed up to Long Island to "see it for himself."

"Since then, he’s a believer," D’Esposito said.

D’Esposito was among the speakers at a Thursday morning breakfast for the New York delegation hosted by Rep. Elise Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference.

Stefanik celebrated the expanding presence of New York Republicans, noting that New York has more than 500 registered attendees at the convention, more than any other state. And she hit many of the talking points that have become running GOP themes this week in Milwaukee — the border crisis, inflation, and safety and security.

Then she turned the podium over to D’Esposito, whose seat is ranked by Democrats as one of the most flippable from red to blue.

"Republicans are on the right side of every issue," D’Esposito said, completely deadpan and without audience reaction, as he made the contrast between his own party and Democrats, whom he characterized as a "circular firing squad" where, he noted, "You have Governor Hochul fighting with herself."

D’Esposito also tackled the assumption that New York is a "deep blue state."

"We are not only going to prove to Long Island, we are not only going to prove to New York State, but we are going to prove to the United States of America that New York is no longer a deep shade of blue," D’Esposito said.

That enthusiasm is contagious in party circles.

"President Trump is very, very excited about New York," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told The Point. "And Nassau County is trying to lead President Trump to a resounding victory."

Cairo, Garcia and state party chairman Ed Cox all told The Point on Thursday that each is already seeing interest in Long Island’s races build, as it often does during the party’s convention. But this time, they said, it feels different, and they expect that will soon translate into dollars raised, volunteer sign-ups and, ultimately, the wins in November.

Blakeman, like others throughout the week, compared this year’s election to 1980, when New York went for Ronald Reagan and elected Al D’Amato to the United States Senate.

"This is the same gut feeling I had then," Blakeman said.

But in an interview with The Point, D’Amato, who is not at this year’s RNC, expressed some uncertainty about the comparison.

"I think it will be much tougher for them this time," D’Amato told The Point by phone, noting that the voter registration difference has expanded exponentially in the last four decades.

D’Amato said if President Joe Biden stays in the race, Republicans "actually might have the chance of carrying New York." But, he added, that’s only going to happen "if everything broke right for the Republicans."

D’Amato’s name has come up multiple times during the convention — but the former senator said that while he’s watching the convention from home, he doesn’t mind not being here in person.

"I don’t miss it," D’Amato said.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Talking Point

Oyster Bay's Canning a convention mover and shaker

The real rising star of New York’s GOP contingent at the Republican National Convention may not be among the elected officials or party leaders who’ve been getting most of the attention.

Top of the charts right now is John Canning, who heads the Town of Oyster Bay’s Human Resources department.

Canning is known on Long Island for his oft-starring roles in local community theater. But this week, Canning took to a national stage, as Jimmy Kimmel Live featured a segment that included Canning in the stands of the Fiserv Forum — dancing (starting at 3:40).

"The RNC is a chance for the MAGA movement to really bust a move," guest host Anthony Anderson said in introducing the segment.

The first person seen dancing in the stands? Canning.

This isn’t Canning’s first late-night star turn associated with the RNC. Canning told The Point that in 2008, when he was in Minneapolis for the convention to nominate John McCain, Canning was featured on David Letterman’s late night show as the "delegate of the night" — for similar jubilant dancing.

Canning told The Point he's embracing his newfound celebrity — but he’s envisioning even more.

"Could I possibly become the official dancer of the Republican National Convention?" Canning wondered aloud to The Point.

Canning doesn’t limit his performance to the arena. Throughout this week, he’s been leading much of the New York GOP in late-night singing in the hotel lobby of the state delegation. Wednesday night it was a boisterous rendition of God Bless America, in which Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo, Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia and others joined.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Reference Point

A look at GOP conventions back in the day

In Friday’s print edition of Newsday, the editorial board is offering something of an extended Reference Point, the usual inhabitant of this Thursday Point slot. The item is a trip down convention lane — a look at how Newsday’s board has analyzed Republican National Conventions over the decades. Click here to find it online now. 

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com, Amanda Fiscina-Wells amanda.fiscina-wells@newsday.com

Programming Point

It's the Point's Summer Friday season. On most weeks between now and Labor Day, the Point will be in your mailbox daily Monday through Thursday. We'll be taking Fridays off. See you Monday!

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