Blakeman looks to November, LI House members to 2026

Daily Point

County exec's taxpayer-funded mailer says he's 'enriching lives'

As Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced his candidacy for a second term on Monday at American Legion Post 1066 in Massapequa, county residents have been receiving an "official" taxpayer-paid mailing that boasts he’s "empowering seniors" and "enriching lives"; the cost of the mailer has yet to be disclosed.

While Blakeman and other GOP incumbents set sail against Democratic challengers in November, two of next year’s congressional contests are germinating. That is, electoral tension in the first and fourth congressional districts seems to be rolling without a pause from the 2024 presidential year straight into the midterms of 2026.

It makes sense. Midterms always bring a degree of ballot backlash against the party that holds the White House.

On Presidents Day, last Monday, hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Hauppauge CD1 office of second-term Republican Rep. Nick LaLota, decrying massive White House cuts and layoffs auguring disruptions in federal services.

Similar demonstrations were held around the country. In Suffolk County, a coalition of progressive groups demanded LaLota take part in "an in-person public town hall to address their questions and concerns around the unprecedented actions of Elon Musk and the Trump Administration."

LaLota countered on Thursday. He issued a statement saying leaders of the five groups passed on his offer to meet with them, at his 1st Congressional District office, on 24 hours’ notice. Then he announced a telephone town hall meeting March 5 where his office said he "expects more than 10,000 constituents to participate."

In a statement of their own, the organizations said LaLota appeared "only interested in having a brief closed door meeting during a work day," and on short notice, "those who did receive the invite had to decline, while other groups received no such invitation at all." These groups were the Suffolk Progressives, Long Island Progressive Coalition, Progressive East End Reformers, Long Island Network for Change, and Long Island Activists.

In CD4, in Nassau County, former GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito Twitter-trolled Rep. Laura Gillen, the Democrat who unseated him in the November election. "Remember when Laura Gillen criticized Long Island Republicans for discussing NYC issues?" he posted. "Yea, me too."

That was in reply to Gillen’s statement last week that Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams should step aside. Another tweet from D’Esposito included an amusing gaffe: He said she opposes Adams working to rid "our city" of criminal migrants.

The root of D’Esposito’s electronic heckling is that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is pushing to drop Adams’ pending prosecution on corruption charges.

Gillen said in a statement last week: "Over the past year, I’ve repeatedly called for Mayor Adams to do the right thing and resign ... No one is above the law. If you abuse the power of public office, you’re not fit to hold it."

It is too early to tell for sure whether D’Esposito will oppose Gillen again next year. But he’s staying in the public eye and giving insiders the impression he’s interested. For example, he continues to participate in Town of Hempstead NARCAN training sessions as advertised in a recent townwide mailing with his photo appearing along with that of Supervisor Don Clavin and GOP legislators

LaLota won his second term in November by defeating a first-time Democratic candidate, former CNN host and commentator John Avlon, whose future plans if any in CD1 are also unknown.

At the moment, GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority has thinned to a three-seat margin. With key budget votes coming up, Rep. Elise Stefanik’s expected confirmation as U.N. ambassador has been delayed pending the partisan-charged question of when a special election might be called to replace her.

Once that matter is resolved, and the seat is filled, another New York congressional race draws interest: GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, who may skip reelection in CD17 to run for governor.

Next year’s candidacies for House seats may be up in the air, but the themes and topics of debate are quickly building. It’s a perpetual buzz machine, especially in Washington — with this region’s players playing a big part.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Pencil Point

I'm done!

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/250203nationalcartoons

Quick Points

Always on time

• The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will bring its new OMNY payment system for fares to Nassau buses by the end of 2025 — five years later than originally planned. That’s OK — at the MTA, anything less than six years is considered on time.
• After Elon Musk demanded that federal employees justify their work by emailing him with what they did on the job last week, leaders of the Defense Department, intelligence agencies, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State told employees not to respond. Oh, this is going so well.
• President Donald Trump fired a half-dozen of the nation’s top military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. You know it was controversial because it came on a Friday night.
• After the Trump administration asked Ukraine to withdraw a U.N. resolution it proposes every year condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and replace it with a resolution calling for an end to the conflict with no condemnation of Russia, Ukrainian officials were stunned. They didn’t see this coming?
• Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio addressed a rally of fellow Jan. 6 defendants outside the U.S. Capitol, asking, "Whose house?" The boisterous response: "Our house!" Sorry, still not true.
• Bruce Blakeman’s administration last year allocated more than three times what it used to pay for outside lawyers — $20 million in all, on top of the $10 million it pays for its staff of 61 county attorneys. If you subscribe to the adage that you get what you pay for, county taxpayers surely must be expecting a lot in return.

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

Subscribe to The Point here and browse past editions of The Point here.