Perry Gershon, 56, of East Hampton won Tuesday’s Democratic primary race for the 1st Congressional District with 35.5 percent of the vote, according to results collected by the Suffolk County Board of Elections. READ
Tag: Democratic primary
Voters in the 1st Congressional District chose Perry Gershon to be the Democratic candidate to face two-term incumbent Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) at the polls in the midterm elections this November. (more…)
Five candidates are gearing up for the Democratic primary June 26, vying for the nomination to challenge incumbent Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) in November for a seat in the House of Representatives. READ
On Thursday, July 7, the Suffolk County Board of Elections is expected to count more than 1,790 absentee ballots cast in the Democratic primary race between Congressional hopefuls Anna Throne-Holst and Dave Calone.
For nearly 14 months, Anna Throne-Holst and Dave Calone have competed for the Democratic nomination to run against Congressman Lee Zeldin in November.
Registered Democrats in the 1st Congressional District — which comprises the five East End towns, all of Brookhaven Town and part of Smithtown — will go to the polls Tuesday to choose a challenger to face incumbent Republican Lee Zeldin this fall. READ
On Tuesday, local Democrats and Republicans can vote to pick our presidential candidates. Every eligible voter should vote and be heard. READ
TIM KELLY PHOTO | Assembly hopeful Jennifer Maertz addresses the Southold Democratic Party during its May 29 convention.
Rocky Point attorney Jennifer Maertz will try to accomplish through a primary what she couldn’t do through political conventions, namely gain the Democratic Party’s nomination in this year’s special State Assembly election.
The party’s official choice is Manhattan attorney John McManmon, who lives in Brooklyn but uses his parent’s Aquebogue home as his permanent address.
“Maybe it’s a get-your-feet-wet or get-name-recognition race,” said Ms. Maertz. “I’d hate to see this become a throwaway race, which it appears to be.”
Rather than have the county leadership make the choice, the party took the unusual route of leaving the nomination to the three local committees. For the 2nd Assembly District, that’s the organizations in Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southold. Mr. McManmon finished first with Ms. Maertz second.
The Republican candidate is New Suffolk attorney Tony Palumbo.
The winner will fill what’s left of the unexpired term of former Assemblyman Dan Losquadro, who won a special election earlier this year to become Brookhaven highway superintendent.
Ms. Maertz argues that she has far more government experience than the 28-year-old Mr. McManmon.
In the political arena, she ran unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat against Republican incumbent Kenneth LaValle in 2010. She replaced Regina Calcaterra of New Suffolk in that race after Ms. Calcaterra was disqualified for failing to meet the residency requirement.
Last year Ms. Maertz again ran for the state Senate, but lost a Democratic primary to Southampton Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, who then lost to Mr. LaValle.
Mr. McManmon does not concede the experience question.
“I’m younger than most people seeking public office, but I am extremely well qualified, have deep roots in the community and an absolutely the right person for the job.
He also argues that the residency question is a non-issue.
“Once people understand the facts they’ll know that I’m well within the spirit of the law,” he said. The attorney also rejects the idea that he’s waging a throwaway race.
“I am 100 percent committed to winning,” he said. “I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t think I could win.”
TIM GANNON FILE PHOTO | Jennifer Maertz (left) and Bridget Fleming are squaring off in a Democratic primary for the opportunity to oppose Senator Ken LaValle.
Although the Town Board will discuss the question Tuesday, for the moment Southold is sticking with its policy against running political programs on Channel 22, Cablevision’s local government channel.
Unless the board reverses its earlier decision, the tape of a Southampton debate between Democratic State Senate hopefuls Jennifer Maertz of Rocky Point and Bridget Fleming, a Southampton Town councilwoman from Sag Harbor, will not be aired in Southold prior to Thursday’s Democratic primary. The winner will take on State Senator Kenneth LaValle of Port Jefferson, a Republican who has held the seat since 1977.
The request for Southold to rebroadcast the Aug. 29 League of Women Voters debate came from Melanie Norden of Greenport, a Maertz campaign volunteer. She said she can’t understand the town’s denial.
“Can understand if the tape focused on one candidate, but it’s of two candidates, both vying for a New York State senatorial seat,” Ms. Norden said. “How can this be construed as partisan?”
She said Southampton Town broadcast the debate in its entirety on its local government station.
Mr. Russell said he polled other members of the Town Board on Friday and all, including lone Democrat Al Krupski, opposed airing the tape on the government channel.
“We’re trying to keep it non-political, even if it means a lot of dead air there,” the supervisor said. “This is not government, this is politics.”
Mr. Russell added that the town has also refused to broadcast a variety of tapes provided by Mr. LaValle.
The board’s discussion will come during its Tuesday morning work session. If the board decides to approve the broadcast, the tape could run much of Tuesday and throughout Wednesday and Thursday, said Mr. Russell.
