Oooh this is fun: Bloodbath on Long Island
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A red tide swept over Long Island, with the Republican candidates for district attorney in both Nassau and Suffolk counties winning their races in stunning landslides Tuesday — turning the campaigns into a referendum on New York’s controversial bail reform law.
In Nassau, career local prosecutor Anne Donnelly upset Democratic state Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a former federal prosecutor, who voted for the 2019 law that eliminated cash bail for defendants accused of many misdemeanor and “non-violent” felony crimes.
Donnelly, who was deputy chief of the Nassau DA’s organized crime and rackets bureau, won 145,766 or 60 percent of the vote to 97,299 votes or 40 percent for Kaminsky — a 20-point blowout.
The carnage extended to other races.
In another potential upset, Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman led Democratic incumbent Nassau County Executive Laura Curran with 127,414 votes or 52 percent to 117,158 votes or 48 percent. Curran was elected four years ago, running on an anti-corruption platform after ex-county executive Ed Mangano was arrested and convicted on bribery charges.
Curran will need to win the lion’s share of 30,000 to 40,000 uncounted mail-in balls to turn the tide.
Republican Elaine Phillips, a former state senator, also buried Democratic rival Ryan Cronin in the Nassau comptroller’s race, with 61 percent or 145,175 votes to 94,445 votes or 39 percent.
“It was not a particularly good night,” said Nassau County Democratic leader Jay Jacobs.
President Biden’s plummeting popularity and infighting among Democrats in charge of Congress over spending plans contributed to the onslaught. Democrats now have the burden of governing and can no longer invoke former President Donald Trump as the bogeyman.
“Donald Trump is no longer on the ballot,” said Lawrence Levy, dean of Hofstra University’s national center for suburban studies.
“This is a red tsunami. It’s a complete wipeout. This is a sharp repudiation of the Democratic Party.”
