By Dan Murphy
A wise Westchester democrat recently told us, when asked whether republicans can win election when running for state or federal office, that is has been 11 years since judge, district attorney, and now Chief Court of Appeals Judge Janet DiFiore switched political parties from republican to democrat. At the same time, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano also changed his registration also from republican to democrat.
“Spano and DiFiore decided more than 10 years ago that the future in Westchester was with the democratic party and things haven’t changed. They may have even gotten worse,” said our democratic elected official.
Is it more difficult now for republican candidates to win Westchester elections for Assembly, State Senate and Congress, during a blue wave of democratic support and an unpopular President Donald Trump in the county? Have prospects for republicans gotten worse since Trump’s election two years ago?
According to enrollment figures from the NYS Board of elections, the numbers in Westchester have not significantly changed.
In November 2016, there were 310,000 registered democrats. In April 2018, the last time an enrollment total was made, there were 305,000 registered democrats.
In November 2016, there were 145,000 registered republicans. In April 2018, there were 140,000 registered republicans.
In November 2016, there were 25,000 registered independence members. In April 2018, there were 24,000 registered independence members.
In November 2016, there were 157,000 registered voters in Westchester not affiliated to any political party. In 2018, these voters, also called “nons,” were 149,000.
All four of the major categories of party and non-party voters declined since the 2016 election of Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This is due to the removal of voters who had moved or had not voted in several elections.
Democratic enrollment dropped by 1.5 percent, republican voters by 3 percent. Independence members by 4 percent and non-party voters by 5.2 percent.
It is no surprise that democratic enrollment fared the best in Westchester, but not by any significant number of voters. The enrollment figures in Westchester also give the same opportunity to republicans to put together the coalition of republican and independent and independence voters to compete against the large democratic enrollment edge.
But in order to remain the second political party of choice in Westchester, the county GOP needs to find candidates for state and federal offices.
Only a handful of republicans have stepped forward to run, while many of the upcoming elections Nov. 6 for Assembly, State Senate and Congress do not have a republican candidate on the ballot.
Three republican challengers that are on the ballot Nov. 6 include:
John Nuculovic, running for Assembly in the 93rd district against democrat David Buchwald. Buchwald did not have an opponent in 2016. The American-born son of political refugees from the former Yugoslavia, Nuculovic wants to bring his nearly 20 years serving his state and country to the New York State Assembly.
“As a father, veteran and first responder, I worry about the direction Albany is going. It’s rife with pay-to-play schemes and infringing on our individual liberties. We need a common-sense legislator in Albany to stand up to Cuomo and his minions,” said Nuculovic, who began his career in public service as a corrections officer at Rikers Island.
He is a retired U.S. Army Military Police Captain and paratrooper. John is also a former adjunct professor in computer science and cybersecurity. He holds an M.S. from Mercy College and a B.S. in criminal justice from York College.
Keeping with his longstanding practice of serving the community, John is a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and member of the Westchester County Special Operations HAZMAT Team.
Nuculovic, 39, vows to clean up the corrupt economic development system in Albany, and will push for property tax relief, and expanding services for veterans. The 93rd District includes Bedford, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, part of White Plains, Harrison, New Castle, Pound Ridge, and North Castle.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey has an opponent this year, but not on the republican line. Rockland County resident Joseph Ciardullo is running on the Reform Party line.
Ciardullo, a republican, wanted to run on the republican line as well, but was not contacted or offered the position by either the Rockland or Westchester County GOPs. This is an error by the republican party, who, if a candidate is available, they should try to make every effort to field a candidate and not leave their party line for Congress blank.
He calls himself the “Average Joe” running for Congress, after serving as a volunteer or campaign manager for several Rockland county elections. “I did not want her (Lowey) to run unopposed for a second time,” said Ciardullo, who works as a sales trainer for IBM. “She does not represent me. She is among the most partisan members of Congress.”
Lowey ran unopposed in 2016. In 2014, Orangetown Supervisor Chris Day challenged Lowey.
In an interview with the Rockland Times, Ciardullo said that if he was able to win the upset victory over Lowey he would “go to Bass Pro Shop and buy a pair of hip waders so I don’t get infected by the swamp… I will write a contract and sign it saying that if I ever become like the people I fought against (during the campaign), the taxpayers can beat me like a pinata.” Ciardullo told the Rockland Times.
What is interesting from a political view is that Guardian Angels founder and radio talk show host Curtis Sliwa, who is also the state chairman of the reform party, found Ciardullo and recruited him to run for Congress against Lowey. Ciardullo has changed his enrollment to the reform party.
The fact that Sliwa can find candidates in Rockland and Westchester counties that the local chairs of both GOPs can’t find is unfathomable. Sliwa has visited Rockland to stump for Ciardullo, who has challenged Lowey to a series of debates and supports term limits.
Kudos to the Rockland Times, who got it right when they wrote: “At the very least we want to see a contest in this Congressional campaign! Our democratic institutions work better when incumbent politicians are challenged and forced to defend their record.” We couldn’t agree more.
In the race for Congress in the xxth District, Orange County Legislator Jimmy O’Donnell is challenging Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. “I care deeply about this community and everything I’ve done is to help make it a better place to live, work and raise our families,” he said.
O’Donnell currently serves as legislator in the 21st District. He previously served as deputy Orange County executive and as the director of the Orange County Office of Economic Development and head of the county’s Industrial Development Agency after retiring from a distinguished career in law enforcement. He is involved in numerous Orange County community service organizations.
O’Donnell is a retired lieutenant colonel with the State Police and the former chief of police of the MTA Police. He has a distinguished career in law enforcement, serving during the devastating attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and charged with rolling out the “See Something, Say Something” campaign that has prevented numerous terrorist attacks and saved thousands of lives.
O’Donnell has been critical of Maloney’s insistence on running for state attorney general at the same time he was running for re-election to Congress.
In the race for Assembly in the 90th District, representing Yonkers, Republican Joe Pinion is running against democrat Nader Sayegh in a seat that became vacant once Shelley Mayer was elected to the State Senate.
In the race for Assembly in the 90th District, representing Yonkers, Republican Joe Pinion
is running against democrat Nader Sayegh in a seat that became vacant once Shelley Mayer was elected to the State Senate.
Kudos to the Rockland Times, who got it right when they wrote: “At the very least we want
to see a contest in this Congressional campaign! Our democratic institutions work better when incumbent politicians are challenged and forced to defend their record.” We couldn’t agree more.
