A push poll comes to CD3

Daily Point

Poll throws the GOP playbook at Suozzi

A new online push poll about the special election for the CD3 seat is focusing on the perceived weak spots of Tom Suozzi, featuring some of the typical talking points — and asking whether they encourage those polled to support Suozzi or Republican candidate Mazi Melesa Pilip in the upcoming special election to fill the remaining months of George Santos' term..

“Tom Suozzi supports the same radical liberal immigration policies as other extreme democrats,” the poll said, with "democrats" in lowercase. “His support for open borders and sanctuary city policies has led to migrants being bused to and housed in local communities, all at taxpayer expense.

“After reading this, would you vote for Mazi Melesa Pilip, Republican OR Tom Suozzi, Democrat for US Congress?” the poll then asks.

Brian Devine, a spokesman for Pilip’s campaign, told The Point that the poll did not come from the Mazi for NY campaign. Since campaigns and PACs supporting a candidate can’t coordinate strategies, the poll could come from the national Republican Congressional Campaign Committee — or from a political action committee separate from the campaign.

The poll also refers to “violent crime in New York.”

“Tom Suozzi is a strong supporter of disastrous policies that have left the city with soaring crime rates. If elected, he will continue to prioritize criminal rights over focusing on how to reduce crime and protect New York families,” the poll says, asking whether the statement would encourage those polled to vote for Pilip or Suozzi.

The poll also asks about Suozzi’s record as county executive, stating that Suozzi raised property taxes by more than $160 million and attempted to “gut the police department’s budget,” “all while pushing to give himself a 60% pay raise.”

That’s not quite true. Suozzi requested and the county legislature approved a one-shot increase of property taxes in 2002 by about 19.4%, after taking office under the weight of a $428 million deficit and a county credit rating barely above junk after three decades of Republican rule. Six years later, in late 2008, Suozzi received a 60% salary hike after the county legislature approved a pay hike for countywide elected officials in response to a recommendation by a blue ribbon panel — a panel that included current County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Suozzi campaign senior adviser Kim Devlin told The Point that the poll did not come from the Democrat’s campaign.

“Mazi Pilip won’t debate Tom on TV and offers nothing but nonsensical talking points dictated to her by party bosses,” Devlin said. “Quite frankly, she has to resort to lying about Tom’s record to counteract that he stands apart as one of the most effective, bipartisan elected officials who always puts the people he represents first.”

Pilip has agreed to participate in one debate, on News 12, on Feb. 8. Suozzi had agreed to additional debates on WABC, NY1 and WNBC.

The poll also asks whether those polled are pro-choice or pro-life and what they think of Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Suozzi and Republican candidate Mazi Melesa Pilip. It even features a multiple-choice question as to when the special election is, apparently testing whether voters know. (Spoiler, it’s on Feb. 13.)

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

Pencil Point

For your disinformation

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Reference Point

Extending voting hours, then and now

It was today 66 years ago that Newsday’s editorial board first commented on a then-novel idea – extending voting hours until 9 p.m for all elections.

“The theory is that in Long Island, especially, many commuters cannot conveniently return home from New York by 7 p.m. and thus are ‘being disenfranchised,’” the board noted.

Back in 1958, the two-hour extension was first proposed by Nassau Democrats, but got a nod from Republicans as well. “Agreement between Democrats and Republicans being rare anywhere and, perhaps, particularly in Nassau County, it is noteworthy as well as pleasant to find at least tentative accord on an important change in the election law.”

The board concluded: “We think that in the interest of permitting as many voters as possible to exercise their franchise, the change should be made.” And it was. After years of fighting over sponsorship of the legislation and implications for employer-paid time-off for voting, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller ultimately signed the extension into law in 1963.

Today, expanding voting hours has moved beyond the day of elections to early on-site voting. In 2019, New York implemented voting 10 days before an election at county-designated sites.

While New York voters rejected a constitutional amendment in 2021 for any voter to use the no-excuse absentee ballot system that a COVID-19 order temporarily allowed, in September Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the “Early Mail Voter Act,” which allows all registered New York State voters to vote early by mail before an election. Republicans immediately filed a lawsuit.

That left a bit of uncertainty ahead of the upcoming, much-watched Feb.13 special election in the Third Congressional District to finish the term of the expelled George Santos.

Earlier this week, an Albany state Supreme Court judge denied Republicans request to block the use of early mail-in ballots for the special election until the merits of the lawsuit are resolved. Republicans have filed an appeal, but as of right now an early mail ballot request portal is live on the New York State Board of Elections site and early on-site voting is to begin Feb. 3.

And of course – thanks to a bill that first got attention 66 years ago – polls will be open on the Feb. 13 special election until 9 p.m.

— Amanda Fiscina-Wells amanda.fiscina-wells@newsday.com

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