New York primaries set a unique stage for November clashes
Primary night winners on Long Island, from left, Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, Republican Mike LiPetri and Democrat Chris Gallant. Credit: Neil Miller, Newsday/John Paraskevas, Gallant for Congress
From one congressional district to the next, Tuesday’s primaries across New York told varying stories of high-stakes strife within both major parties. Each race seemed to end with a unique local twist.
The region’s most riveting upsets occurred, of course, within deep-blue New York City, where two leftist candidates endorsed by the new mayor, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, pulled off the rare feat of beating incumbent Democratic representatives.
On Long Island, however, the Democratic primaries were a whole different ballgame.
Rep. Tom Suozzi crushed liberal challenger Danielle Welch, by nearly 4 to 1, and Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen ended up with no rivals on the ballot. Both incumbents have been stern critics of Mamdani’s role since last year, battling GOP messaging that seeks to scare off their potential support.
On the Republican side of CD3, former Assemb. Mike LiPetri faces Suozzi for a second straight election in November. While his win was expected, it was unusual that he had to fend off an outsider, Greg Hach — who said LiPetri was too liberal and not really MAGA.
In a peculiar endorsement for Hach on social media, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, “The bosses tried to keep him out; the people put him on the ballot.” He added Hach will “not cave in to the Democrats, as many Nassau County Republicans have done in the past.”
But with an endorsement from President Donald Trump, and Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo’s firm support, LiPetri got 83% to Hach’s 17%.
CD1 also delivered a very non-NYC narrative for Democrats who aspire to unseat Republican Rep. Nick LaLota and help get the House majority out of Trump’s firm grip.
There, the party voted for Chris Gallant, who like LaLota touts a military background, and bested Lukas Venturas, a 25-year-old law student who is now backing Gallant, the underdog against LaLota. In the Hudson Valley, GOP Rep. Mike Lawler is also facing a military veteran in November, with national security expert Cait Conley having won the Democratic primary Tuesday.
From House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries’ perspective, losing allies he endorsed for reelection from the city might not matter on the tally sheets for the chamber’s majority. Those city seats will stay Democratic.
In one solid-red district upstate, however, Democrats may suddenly have a chance to flip a seat thanks to Trump and his ally, consultant Roger Stone. They backed controversial, divisive custom sticker company CEO Anthony Constantino, who beat Assemb. Robert Smullen for the GOP nomination to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik.
The twist is that the Conservative Party nominated Smullen, meaning he could stay in the fray and split the opposition against Democrat Blake Gendebien. Smullen said he’s “assessing options.” It shows internal ferment rattling the GOP leadership as Trump faces dissent from within on key issues.
More than 300 miles from the North County, the fight differed. Former City Comptroller Brad Lander beat Rep. Dan Goldman by 2 to 1 in a Brooklyn-Manhattan district. Lander told supporters in an unusual victory speech: “I will be one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up loud for Palestinian human rights. I will stand firmly against bigotry aimed at Jews as well.”
In upper Manhattan the big unseating came more unexpectedly. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who’s chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, stunningly lost to an inexperienced, far-left candidate, Darializa Avila Chevalier, who got 49.4% to Espaillat’s 45.9%.
Hard-fought primaries remind us how local conflicts within parties, often with small margins and turnouts, shape the national contests between them. Ultimately, all politics is still local in America.
Columnist Dan Janison’s opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
