Who we're endorsing: For Nassau County DA and Suffolk County DA

Early voting starts Oct. 23. As you head to the polls, learn about all the candidates running here, use our interactive endorsement guide here to see who we have endorsed so far on your ballot, and find out our takes on the ballot propositions here.

In today's edition we highlight our picks for Nassau County District Attorney and Suffolk County District Attorney. This year, these contests are distorted but for different reasons. In Nassau, the fight is set in the national culture wars over policing and racial justice. In Suffolk, where the political fights are inbred, it's a primal brawl to keep the power of the office from the other side.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Long Island candidates did not come to our office for in-person meetings. Instead, the board interviewed candidates by Zoom.

The race: Nassau County DA

Democrat Todd D. Kaminsky vs. Republican Anne T. Donnelly

There wasn’t supposed to be a contest for district attorney in Nassau County this year. Madeline Singas was midway through her second term and seemingly settling in to hold the office comfortably, and non-controversially, for a long time. But earlier this year, Singas was appointed to an opening on the state's highest court.

Kaminsky is a New York State senator who was a federal prosecutor with the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District after a stint in the Queens district attorney’s office.

Donnelly has spent her entire career in the Nassau DA office, most recently as deputy chief of the Rackets and Enterprise Crime Bureau.

Our pick

Clearly, Donnelly understands how the office works, how new lawyers must be trained, how the office must listen to all sections of its community about crime and policing, the importance of meeting the challenges of the opioid scourge, and the necessity of protecting the community's most vulnerable members.

At the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, Kaminsky convicted former state senator Pedro Espada Jr., who looted hundreds of thousands of dollars from a community health clinic. Kaminsky then won a special election to replace Dean Skelos, who himself had to resign from the Senate after a federal corruption conviction. The state's new bail laws, in which Kaminsky played a legislative role, is the dominant issue in this race.

Find out which candidate we endorse for Nassau DA here.

The race: Suffolk County DA

Republican Raymond A. Tierney vs. Democrat Timothy D. Sini

Tierney worked in the Suffolk DA's office for six years before joining the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District in 2008.

Sini was elected Suffolk County DA in 2017 and prior to that he served as Suffolk County Police Commissioner and as a federal prosecutor.

Our pick

Tierney's experience is considerable. He put Ed Walsh, the former head of the Suffolk County Conservative Party, in prison for cheating on his sheriff's department time, and convicted multiple members of the MS-13 gang for violent crimes and murders. He understands how to best work with other law enforcement agencies on complex investigations.

Sini is on the right track in the wake of Thomas Spota's downfall for abusing the power of the Suffolk County district attorney's office. He's made progress on rebuilding public trust, hiring a new team, utilizing diversion programs to get repeat offenders services that may put them on a better life path, focusing on human trafficking, and making the prosecution of environmental offenses a high priority.

Find out which candidate we endorse for Suffolk DA here.

Follow @NewsdayOpinion on Twitter and on Instagram to see more from the candidates. Stay tuned for our next special edition newsletter this weekend.

Endorsements are determined solely by the Newsday editorial board, a team of opinion journalists focused on issues of public policy and governance. Newsday’s news division has no role in this process.