Nassau GOP chair Joe Mondello’s local-minded Trump endorsement

The cautions from the boss seemed far from subtle.

Nassau Republican chairman Joseph Mondello made it clear this week that he joined Donald Trump’s bandwagon because the blustery billionaire has caught fire as a candidate.

Rarely does a big, early endorsement include such public caveats and hedges as these on Monday from Mondello:

“Not everything he says, I’m buying . . . I’m not sold on building walls . . . The average person out there is not interpreting this as a guy who is in favor of violence.” Trump shows “somewhat of a new, refreshing approach.” Somewhat.

Compare that with Democratic County chairman Jay Jacobs, who signed up with the Hillary Clinton campaign at the start and brought volunteers to New Hampshire, the scene of her first primary loss to Bernie Sanders. Jacobs makes Clinton’s candidacy a personal priority.

But the seasoned Mondello knows that in the end, it’s the local races that matter to a county chair. Allies suggest Mondello’s timing links strategically to the special State Senate election in which first-time candidate Christopher McGrath, a Republican lawyer, seeks to stave off Democratic Assemb. Todd Kaminsky.

That election, to replace convicted Republican Sen. Dean Skelos in the 9th District, takes place on April 19, the same day as New York’s presidential primary. A poll Tuesday showed the candidates neck-and-neck.

It will make for an odd, hybrid day at the polls. Only registered Democrats and Republicans can cast ballots for presidential nominations, but all registered voters, regardless of affiliation, may vote for senator in the 9th District.

Turnout for one race could steer turnout for the other. Mondello has incentive to maximize both. Stakes are unusually high because the Republicans hold only a pencil-thin State Senate majority, a caucus once led by Skelos.

Sources said Tuesday that Mondello’s announcement took Suffolk Republican chairman John Jay LaValle by surprise. So far LaValle has made no endorsement for president, but is expected to do so soon as the one-month mark to the primary approaches.

Suffolk Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer already backs Clinton. Notably, neither McGrath nor Kaminsky have endorsed a presidential candidate.

There remains plenty of time to consider the party tickets from top to bottom, from global to local. The Senate seat, along with all 62 others statewide, comes open again in November, when the race promises to have a whole different shape.

That will be the main event — a presidential contest, all congressional and state legislative seats, one U.S. Senate seat.

Long Island voters by then may be rushing to the polls to help Trump or stop him, or to help or stop Clinton or Sanders. The many moving parts to this election season have just begun to move.

By Dan Janison

dan.janison@newsday.comDanJanison

Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.