Signature contests

Daily Point

How the primary field is shaping up

Thursday is the state deadline for filing petitions to get on the November ballot and to determine where there will be a need to hold primaries in June to get a party’s official designation.

In Nassau County, it’s pretty clear that Assemb. Taylor Darling and Nassau County Legis. Siela Bynoe will be facing off for the Democratic nomination in the 6th Senate District, with the winner pretty much guaranteed election in the fall. As of now, it looks like Bynoe bested Darling in the petition contest by collecting 30% more signatures.

In the 7th Senate District, where Democrats are hoping to knock off Republican incumbent Jack Martins, Nassau party chair Jay Jacobs is supporting Kim Keiserman over Brad Schwartz, a sign that the party is pushing to avoid a primary but without success so far. In 2018, Schwartz dropped out of the primary for the same seat, clearing a path for Anna Kaplan to win the nomination and the election.

In the 3rd Congressional District, where Democrat Tom Suozzi recently won a special election, Republican Mike LiPetri has filed his petitions which one of his supporters described as being 400% more than the number he needed. But LiPetri, who is supported by the party, could face a primary. Air Force veteran and attorney Greg Hach has been out getting signatures as has Jim Toes, head of the Security Traders Association.

The CD3 race is the most likely Republican primary, and the state legislative contests are set, according to Nassau GOP spokesman Mike Deery. “All of our candidates will far exceed the requirements for the number of petitions but the weather has been a challenge this year for any of the parties collecting this season,” said Deery.

In Suffolk, a GOP primary could be in the offing for CD2 House incumbent Andrew Garbarino, who faces a challenge from the right by Shannon Stephens. The latest redrawing of the district now contains a bit of Nassau with the rest remaining along Suffolk's South Shore. Bicounty petitions must be filed in Albany and from the looks of it on Wednesday, Stephens has around 1,800 signatures and Garbarino has 6,400. With a requirement of 1,250 valid signatures, Stephens’ petitions are expected to get withering scrutiny from the party organization. “We will do our due diligence to make sure all the signatures are valid under New York State election law,” said Jesse Garcia, Suffolk Republican Party chair.

Garcia says not only has the Island’s wet weather been a problem, “but our bane has been the Ring doorbell.” Garcia says that many people with this camera view of who’s outside don’t open their doors anymore to unfamiliar faces which is why he asks party volunteers to wear American flag hats or pins.

“My committeemen have left hundreds of messages on Ring doorbells this season,” he said.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Cartoonists take their shots

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CORRECTION: Assemb. Taylor Darling and Nassau County Legis. Siela Bynoe will be facing off for the Democratic nomination in the 6th State Senate District. An earlier version of this edition of The Point had the wrong district.

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