Blakeman, Donnelly lead Republican surge throughout Nassau County; Dems await absentee ballots

Robert Pelaez
Republican Anne Donnelly defeated Democratic Sen. Todd Kaminsky in the race for Nassau County district attorney on Tuesday night. (Photo by Casey Flynn)

As Republicans surged to wins in Nassau County, Bruce Blakeman, a Town of Hempstead councilman, claimed victory in the race for county executive over the Democratic incumbent, Laura Curran. 

In the race for district attorney, Republican attorney Anne Donnelly handily defeated Democratic state Sen. Todd Kaminsky.

According to results from the Nassau County Board of Elections, Blakeman received 135,842 votes to replace Curran as county executive, while Curran received 124,008 votes in Tuesday’s election. Absentee ballots remained to be counted.

Blakeman, a Republican who has been critical of Curran’s handling of the county’s property reassessment, said his goal is to cut taxes and put money back in the pockets of Nassau taxpayers.

“I’m going to put together a team and fix the broken reassessment system and make proposals to further cut fees and taxes and restore law and order on Nassau County streets,” Blakeman said in a statement. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for placing your trust in me to serve as the next Nassau County Executive.”

Curran, in a statement, pointed to the absentee votes that remained uncounted despite trailing Blakeman by more than 11,000 votes. 

“There are many thousands of absentee ballots that still must be counted – with more coming in,” Curran said in a statement. “This is not over and we must trust the process. Every Nassau resident who participated in this election is owed the opportunity to have their voice heard. I have faith in Nassau County and the good work we have accomplished over the last four years.”

Efforts to reach the Board of Elections for comment on how many absentee ballots were outstanding and when they would be fully counted were unavailing. According to Newsday, nearly 20,000 absentee votes in some races remained uncounted as of Monday.

State and county Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs acknowledged the absentee ballots that have yet to be counted and said he will not call the county executive race until they are all counted.

“Obviously, as of the count now we’re down. And fortunately, there’s an awful lot of paper out,” Jacobs said on Tuesday night. “We’re gonna wait for that paper to be counted. There are many more Democrats than Republicans on that paper. I don’t have any guarantee of any outcome one way or the other, but we’re going to wait for that count to occur.”

 Donnelly, a veteran of the district attorney’s office, defeated Kaminsky by more than 52,000 votes in the race for district attorney. Donnelly, according to the results, received 155,554 votes while Kaminsky received 102,666. Donnelly touted her commitment to law enforcement officials and protecting the community in a statement following her victory.

“I can’t thank you enough for placing your trust in me to serve as the next Nassau County District Attorney,” Donnelly said. “Together, we sent a message that Nassau County backs the blue, believes in law and order, and puts the safety of our communities first.”

“District Attorney-elect Anne Donnelly has served the people of Nassau County for decades. She knows this office well and I congratulate her on her victory,” acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce A. Smith said in a statement. “I look forward to working with her to ensure an orderly transition and have confidence that Nassau will remain America’s safest county.”

Kaminsky thanked all of the volunteers who helped him during his campaign and assured residents he will continue to serve the county as a senator.

“Last night’s result was not what we wanted – but I am so proud of the campaign we ran and the people who volunteered their time and energy to knock on over 100,000 doors across Nassau County,” Kaminsky said in a statement. “Long Islanders want safe communities and government free from corruption. In my role as a Senator I will continue to serve my constituents and remain committed to those critical priorities and others to move Nassau forward.”

Republicans are also poised to gain an additional three seats in the  County Legislature, which would increase their majority from 11-8 to 14-5. Incumbent Legislator Ellen Birnbaum (D-Great Neck) lost her seat representing the 10th District to Republican challenger Mazi Melesa Pilip. Birnbaum received 5,353 votes compared with Pilip’s 7,375.

Pilip thanked her supporters and expressed her gratitude for Birnbaum’s work in serving the district over the years.

“I can’t thank everyone enough for their prayers, kind words, support, texts, calls, help and more during this whole journey,” Pilip said on Instagram. “I promise to do my very best and to be a bridge builder and uniter for everyone. Thank you Chairman Cairo and the Nassau GOP and Conservatives for their confidence!”

Republican Daniel Alter, who received 6,921 votes, was leading incumbent Democrat Anrold Drucker, who received 6,668 votes, for the 16th Legislative District, according to the results.

Republican Paolo Pironi received 7,136 votes, was also leading incumbent Josh Lafazan, who received 6,891 votes, to represent the 18th Legislative District. Lafazan is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

Republican Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello defeated challenger Salju Thomas by more than 5,000 votes, according to the results. Nicolello received 9,733 votes compared with Thomas’ 4,065.

Republican John Giuffre defeated Democrat Nadia Holubnyczyj by nearly 6,000 votes, receiving 9,940 votes compared with her 3,967 to represent the 8th Legislative District.

Incumbent Democrat Delia DeRiggi-Whitton retained her seat in the 11th Legislative District, defeating Republican Meagan McCarty. DeRiggi-Whitton received 8,546 votes compared with McCarty’s 5,175 votes.

Republican incumbent Laura Schaefer received 10,538 votes to retain her seat representing the 14th Legislative District. Schaefer defeated Democratic challenger Robert McCarthy, who received 3,902 votes.

Republican Elaine Phillips defeated Democrat Ryan Cronin by more than 50,000 votes to replace Jack Schnirman as county comptroller. Republican incumbent Maureen O’Connell defeated Democratic challenger Justin Brown by more than 68,000 votes to retain her position as county clerk.

Several judges also won uncontested elections, with each receiving more votes on the Republican line than the Democratic one. Darlene Harris received 245,394 votes for Family Court judge. Harris received 125,248 votes on the Republican line and  99,800 on the Democratic line.

Vincent Muscarella was elected as a 2nd District Court judge with 142,028 votes, according to the results. Muscarella received 71,552 votes on the Republican line and 58,833 votes on the Democratic line.  David Levine and William Hohauser were elected as 3rd District Court judges, receiving more than 36,000 votes each. Both received more than 17,000 votes on the Republican line and more than 15,000 on the Democratic line.

Joseph Girardi received 64,367 votes for the 4th District Court judge position, with 36,017 coming from the Republican line and 22,319 coming from the Democratic line.

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