Power math: GOP incumbents outraise Dem challengers in Nassau races

Daily Point

Contests for comptroller, supervisor, county clerk, county exec show wide fundraising gap

It’s no secret that incumbents have a big advantage in elections. How big? It’s like the undefeated ’72 Miami Dolphins vs. a Pop Warner team.

In the 2024 national general elections, 95% of incumbents beat challengers. The main reason? Bricks, bread, Benjamins … In other words — cold, hard cash.

Sure, sitting elected officials are in the public eye, and that helps with name recognition. But elections cost money, and in Nassau County, Republicans teach a master’s class in political fundraising every year by using the power of incumbency to raise fat stacks for campaign ads and staff.

According to July 15 periodic itemized filings with the New York State Board of Elections, Nassau Republicans are far outpacing their Democratic rivals. In some races, the disparity in fundraising is as lopsided as the deck of the Titanic.

In the town of Oyster Bay supervisor’s race, incumbent Republican Joseph Saladino raised $344,296.00 from Jan. 15 to July 15, according to his filing. Saladino, a former state assemblyman, has $1,090,465.59 in the bank.

Saladino’s opponent, Democrat Sam Sochet, raised $990 during the same period. That’s not a typo. Sochet has $947.94 in the bank, after a $20 refund to an individual contributor.

Other races in Nassau aren’t as glaring but still show uneven totals.

For county comptroller, incumbent Republican Elaine Phillips raised $39,486.10 compared with Democrat Wayne Wink, who raised $19,275. Phillips, however, has a balance of $144,565.51 compared with Wink’s $42,237.45.

The race for county clerk is even wider. Incumbent Republican Maureen O’Connell raised $33,325 compared with Democrat Joylette Williams’ $5,622.17. O’Connell has $27,327.30 in the bank while Williams has $3,076.11.

Fundraising for town supervisor races are equally skewed, even if the race doesn’t feature an incumbent. In Hempstead, with Supervisor Donald Clavin not seeking reelection to instead run for county court judge, Republican Legis. John Ferretti is facing Democrat Joseph Scianablo. Ferretti raised $176,005.00 compared with Scianablo’s $46,105.00. In North Hempstead, incumbent Republican Supervisor Jennifer DeSena raised $234,894.25 compared with Democrat challenger David Kerpen, who raised $58,803.20.

The closest race, fundraising-wise, appears to be for district attorney. Incumbent Republican Anne Donnelly raised $147,914.08, significantly less than Democratic challenger Nicole Aloise, who reported raising $254,665.08 during the same period. Donnelly, however, has $588,799.79 in the bank compared with Aloise’s $427,291.93.

No surprises in the county executive race. Incumbent Republican Bruce Blakeman, who is contemplating the GOP nod for governor, raised $1,954,018.61, according to his July 15 filing, and has a whopping $3,313,501.35 in the bank. His opponent, Democratic Legis. Seth Koslow, raised $434,535.83, according to his July 15 filing, and has $389,855.98.

Money may not buy votes, but it sure helps incumbents stay in power.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Roadside meltdown

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Reference Point

Shining a light on road safety

Blinding headlights have bedeviled Long Island drivers for more than a century.

In 1941, Newsday’s editorial board scolded "discourteous automobilists” to upgrade their vehicle’s headlights to conform with a law that mandated round sealed beam lights. The first electric headlights, introduced before the start of World War I, were called "dipping low-beam headlights” and required the driver to get out of the car to switch between low and high beam. A 1940 law created a nationwide standard for headlights.

Despite the law, enough Long Island motorists were still using the old dipping headlights that the editorial board felt compelled to opine. "The razzle-dazzle of the auto headlights still go on,” Newsday wrote on July 29, 1941, "giving most night drivers eyestrain and a bad case of the jitters …”

Headlights continued to improve, as did Newsday’s coverage of the impact of newer lights. In December 2023, Newsday wrote an extensive story about the impact of LED headlights at night. "As the lights have become more prevalent, drivers and lighting experts are calling attention to glare and potential safety concerns,” states the Dec. 11 story.

Newsday’s push to inform Long Islanders about driving safety continues with our current "Dangerous Roads” series and the blinding beams are again a safety issue for motorists.

Since the first headlights of the 1880s, which were acetylene lamps with a small flame and mirror, the way cars light the road at night has changed drastically. But Newsday’s position has been firm: Make driving safer. As the editorial board stated in 1941, enacting driving laws is "… a great step forward in our perennial safety campaign.”

Long Island drivers still get "a bad case of the jitters” since today’s roads are a dazzling array of multicolored lights. From LED glow wheel lights to underglow kits to tailgate light bars, the time has come for — in the words of the 1941 editorial — "… a ‘blackout’ of dazzling headlights!”

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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