Astorino cites Long Island voters as key to win in governor's race

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino told the crowds at back-to-back Long Island rallies that high GOP turnout in Nassau and Suffolk on Tuesday could mean an election night victory.

More than 200 supporters cheered Astorino at a raucous rally in Shirley hosted by the Brookhaven Republican Committee on Sunday. He later addressed a crowd of 160 supporters at a GOP reception at the Lawrence Country Club.

"Things are shifting quickly," Astorino told both groups, referring to the final days of his race against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat.

Astorino, the Westchester county executive, invoked former Republican Gov. George Pataki's 1994 defeat of then-Gov. Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, to energize the crowd about the possibility of Republicans again defeating a Cuomo incumbency.

"Let it begin right here in Suffolk County," Astorino told the crowd of supporters inside the Mid Island Air hangar at the Brookhaven Calabro Airport.

Astorino, repeating a formula he has often cited on the campaign trail, said low voter turnout in New York City coupled with wins in large suburban Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties were key to his victory.

He told the crowd, as he has said before, that high taxes in New York are driving away seniors and young families.

Astorino's messages appealed to Joe and April Torre of Sayville, who grabbed several lawn signs they said they would post in front of their home.

"He really hit a nerve when he spoke about people moving to other less-expensive states," said April Torre, who declined to give her age, adding that she and her husband are seniors who have purchased a home in North Carolina because of the lower cost of living and lower property taxes. For the time being, they plan to keep their residency on Long Island, she said.

At a reception hosted by the Cedarhurst and Meadowmere Republican Club, Astorino again pressed to get out the vote in Nassau, which has 320,000 registered Republicans, the most in the state.

"We've got less than 48 hours to go," he said. "Talk to neighbors . . . about what's at stake."

Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise said local Republicans in the past few weeks have grown more excited about Astorino. "More people have gotten to know him and they're hopeful," Parise said.

Earlier in the day, Astorino spoke at two New Rochelle churches and at the Heavenly Vision Christian Center in the Bronx, where he told congregants to vote based on "values," not political party.

In past campaign events, Cuomo labeled Astorino as "ultraconservative" and criticized his opposition to late-term abortions.

"When Cuomo is attacking my values he is attacking your values," Astorino told about 100 congregants.

Also Sunday, the State Democratic Party attacked Astorino for comments made by upstate Assemb. Steve McLaughlin at an Astorino rally in Brunswick on Saturday.

McLaughlin, according to media reports, predicted high voter turnout in upstate Republican strongholds and said New York City voters, "as lazy as they are, they're not going to show up to vote."

The comments led several Democrat elected officials including City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and former Gov. David A. Paterson, who serves as State Democratic chairman, to issue statements condemning the remarks.

Astorino dismissed the criticism on Sunday, saying after the Brookhaven rally, "the lazy billionaires who have given their money to Cuomo are probably not going to turn out" to vote.

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.