Special edition: Long Island's 'red wave' seen sweeping into '24
Suffolk Republican Party chairman Jesse Garcia addresses supporters at the party's election night headquarters at Stereo Garden in Patchogue Tuesday. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Daily Point
Republicans consolidate power in both counties
With swirling lights above and thumping music filling the large stage, Suffolk County Republicans celebrated their big victory Tuesday night inside the Stereo Garden in Patchogue. More than 400 GOP partisans celebrated newly elected County Executive Ed Romaine’s double-digit win against Democrat Dave Calone. They hooted and hollered for several county legislature victories. But mostly they boasted of a “red wave” for Republicans this year that they predicted would carry over into the 2024 presidential race, which seems likely to feature the gathering’s favorite, former President Donald Trump, at the moment the front-runner to be the GOP nominee.
The GOP’s strong performance in Suffolk and Nassau now puts Republicans largely in control of both counties — nearly all of Nassau’s towns and cities, along with what looks like a new supermajority in the Suffolk Legislature. It was a sharp contrast from results around the nation where Democrats won significant victories in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia.
Holding a coffee in his hand, Jesse Garcia, the Suffolk GOP chairman, told The Point in an interview that Tuesday’s Republican turnout, especially among independents, signals a good omen for Trump or whoever winds up as the party’s presidential nominee in 2024. “We’re going in the right direction,” said Garcia, beaming in a blue suit with an American flag on the collar.
Garcia, who oversaw all of Romaine’s campaign ads and strategy, was one of the biggest winners Tuesday night. Unlike Calone, who hired a prominent national political consultant firm to run his campaign, Romaine relied entirely on Garcia and his locally-based media providers.
At around 10:30 p.m., Garcia grabbed the mike on stage, warmed up the crowd with early results rolling in, and then introduced former East End Congressman Lee Zeldin, who campaigned vigorously for Romaine. They both mentioned that Romaine was the first Republican elected as Suffolk executive in 20 years.
“The last time Suffolk had a Republican county executive, I was a teenager,” roared Zeldin as he moved back and forth on the stage. Though Trump was discussed in the crowd, neither Zeldin nor Garcia made any direct mention of the former president while on the stage. On X, formerly Twitter, Zeldin crowed, “This is an enormous flip of a Long Island suburb from blue to red.”
Zeldin’s own future could benefit from the GOP’s strong Tuesday showing. In 2022, Zeldin narrowly lost to incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and many at last night’s Republican celebration expect him to try again three years from now. Zeldin’s campaign last year emphasized crime, a theme echoed by Romaine who stressed crime in video ads, mailers and social media.
About an hour before the Stereo Garden doors opened formally Tuesday evening, Zeldin held his own news conference to introduce the media to his new political action committee known as Leadership America Needs PAC, which he says is focused on developing new Republican voters in the “Jewish, Asian, Hispanic, African American, and other minority communities.” He also wants his new PAC to build up GOP enrollment among millennials and Gen Zers as first-time voters for the upcoming 2024 presidential race. “Our mission is to reshape our political landscape and empower first-time Republican voters to elect leaders who stand up to the radical left,” said Zeldin, in his press handout. “Together, we can make a difference and help shape the future of our nation by delivering the red wave America desperately needs.”
While Zeldin introduced his PAC to the media as new, it has been gathering donations for months. According to state Board of Election records, Zeldin’s PAC has already collected more than $250,000 this year.
The big question for Zeldin coming out of Tuesday night will be whether the same “red wave” that swept out Democrats from the county executive’s office will linger until the race for the governor’s mansion in 2026. In May, Zeldin said he was “keeping an eye” on running against U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, an incumbent Democrat, but the sense in the Stereo Garden was that their “favorite son” would likely be the next governor.
Amid Tuesday’s celebrations, Zeldin took to X to crow about Republican performances elsewhere in New York. He name-checked successful legislative candidates in Nassau and praised Republican John Safford’s victory in a contentious mayoral race in upstate Saratoga Springs. And Zeldin applauded the stunning New York City Council upset victory of Republican Kristy Marmorato in a district that overlaps with the congressional district of liberal icon Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Zeldin campaigned with Marmorato, which will only further burnish his statewide credentials.
“Many New York City residents are fed up with the pro-criminal, high-tax, sanctuary city politics that are destroying the Big Apple,” Zeldin tweeted, a message that could be a bridge between last year’s unsuccessful gubernatorial bid and a future try for higher office.
— Thomas Maier thomas.maier@newsday.com
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