Curran mulls a rematch with Blakeman

Daily Point

Nassau Dems tell Curran they need her

Laura Curran is considering a rematch with Bruce Blakeman to win back the Nassau County executive job in 2025, The Point has learned.

Nassau County Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs has reached out to Curran about making a run to oust the Republican Blakeman, who defeated Nassau’s first female executive in 2021. Blakeman has yet to make an official announcement seeking a second term but party officials say their standard-bearer has garnered more support since his election.

Curran lost by about 2,000 votes in an election year dominated by anger over COVID-19 mask mandates, vaccines, and changes in criminal justice laws, one of the first signs of the aftershocks from “bail reform” on the state’s politics.

“The worse Blakeman gets, the more I hear that they want Curran back,’ said Jacobs, adding that he has been approached about a Curran candidacy by party members and donors. “I am also hearing a lot of non-voters' remorse — people sorry that they stayed home the last time which ended up with someone who just isn’t up to actually doing the job,” he said.

Nassau Republicans disagree.

“Bruce Blakeman is focused on his work as county executive. He is engaged with Nassau residents and intends to seek reelection,” said Michael Deery, spokesman for the Nassau County Republican Committee.

While Curran is mulling over the prospect, she gives little indication of whether she was inclined to take on the fight.

“Whoever runs next year, for either party, should be focused on doing the job of county executive. Residents expect real management, not self-promotion,” said Curran, giving an elbow to Blakeman but otherwise declining to address the topic. Since she left office, Curran has been holding court on talk radio, currently as a political analyst for WOR/710 AM. She is also on the board of the Safe Center of Long Island and the advisory board of Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside.

Jacobs acknowledged that Curran was “noncommittal” to him but said donors are ready. It’s expected that the county executive race in New York’s expensive media market would cost about $3-4 million. While Jacobs doesn’t acknowledge it, the party doesn’t have many other obvious candidates.

Curran lost the off-year election after Albany Democrats made changes to bail and discovery laws that Republicans have since turned into election year cudgels. Although county officials have nothing to do with state law, running on the same ticket as Curran was Todd Kaminsky, who was seeking the district attorney post. Curran blamed the negative reaction to her candidacy on Kaminsky, who was a state senator involved with the still-hot-button issue, and dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden, who was elected the year before.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

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Quick Points

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— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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