Michelle Bond, second from right, Republican candidate in the 1st...

Michelle Bond, second from right, Republican candidate in the 1st Congressional District primary, with Sen. Ted Cruz, far right, and two police officers, in a photo posted on the Bond campaign's Facebook page. Credit: Facebook

Daily Point

Trotta wants Suffolk cops uniform in following rules

When Texas Sen. Ted Cruz showed up last Wednesday in Smithtown, to support Michelle Bond’s run in CD1’s Republican primary, many attendees wanted to get a picture with the pair.

But one photo that has been circulating on the public Facebook page promoting Bond’s run, as well as the closed page of the Long Island Loud Majority – all-in supporters of Bond – has GOP Legis. Rob Trotta seeing red.

The picture shows Bond, who heads a cryptocurrency trade association, posing with Cruz and two uniformed Suffolk officers who appear to be assigned to the highway patrol. It’s unclear whether they were on duty and were assigned to protect Cruz.

The problem is that it’s against departmental regulations for officers to appear in uniform in such pictures, and for those pictures to be used to promote a candidate.

“I don’t blame the officers,” Trotta told The Point Monday. “I doubt they even know the rules. But I do blame the department, because uniformed Suffolk officers are at political events and pictured in political mailers frequently as supporters, and leadership does nothing.”

The SCPD Rules and Procedures state members may not appear in their departmental uniform in order to “Endorse, support, oppose or contradict any political campaign or initiative.” It also lists as “improper political activity” unauthorized attendance while on-duty at political or legislative sessions.

Trotta has frequently complained about this, as well as SCPD members soliciting and collecting funds for political purposes, including funding the giving of the PBA.

And while the retired Suffolk cop-turned-lawmaker thinks the rules are already clear, he wants to take it even further and is working on “a Hatch Act for Suffolk County.” That’s the federal law that keeps some federal government workers, including law enforcement officers such as like FBI agents, from politicking.

Trotta is working to tighten up his first draft now, but aspects of the bill include barring officers from:

  • Serving as officers in partisan political committees or clubs.
  • Assuming active roles in clubs, campaigns and parties.
  • Contributing to political funds, events or campaigns.
  • Running for partisan office affecting Suffolk County.
  • Endorsing or opposing a political candidate publicly.

Under Trotta’s proposal officers would still be able to:

  • Vote in any election.
  • Sign political petitions.
  • Otherwise participate fully in public affairs, as long as it does not violate any of the banned behavior, impair performance of official duties or create real or apparent conflicts of interest or duties.

Trotta hopes to introduce his proposal “very soon,” he says.

— Lane Filler @lanefiller

Talking Point

Voting days of August

Will voters turn out in droves for the second half of New York’s bifurcated, half-postponed primary day on Tuesday? That remains to be seen, but there has been plenty of action in some of these congressional and State Senate races on Long Island and beyond.

That includes the big spending from Protect Our Future, a super PAC largely bankrolled by crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried. Campaign finance filings dated to Friday show that the group just spent $110,000 on TV ads and $90,000 on digital in support of Nassau County Legisl. Josh Lafazan. That brings POF’s independent expenditures for Lafazan up to $711,000 in the crowded open primary for CD3, and that’s in addition to the $250,000 they spent for Laura Gillen in CD4 earlier in the month.

Then there’s the bitter Republican primary in CD1, where all three contenders are vying to be seen as Trump inheritors. Newcomer Michelle Bond, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump Jr., has been touting herself as “the ONLY MAGA endorsed candidate” in the race, in the phrase of one digital ad. She’s being boosted by a robocall from the former president’s son, calling her “a real America First candidate for congress" and claiming she will “always stand for the MAGA agenda."

Not to be outdone, Bond’s fellow candidate Anthony Figliola often uses “America First” rhetoric. And Nick LaLota, who has the county GOP’s endorsement, points to the fact that he was a pledged delegate for Trump in 2016 to show that he’s a “Trump conservative.” He closes one of his TV ads with photos of him and Trump side by side.

Campaign materials from LaLota and the Suffolk GOP also pair LaLota and Lee Zeldin, the Trump ally and gubernatorial candidate. Zeldin hasn’t endorsed in the race, but both he and LaLota are the party’s picks.

— Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Pencil Point

Qualities in doubt

Credit: Politicalcartoons.com/Dave Whamond, Canada

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons

Final Point

Suspense builds over how competitive CD2 will be

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has touted an internal poll suggesting that Democratic candidate Jackie Gordon of Copiague would pose a very close challenge to CD2’s Republican incumbent Andrew Garbarino of Bayport. Gordon is already the nominee preparing for a rematch against the first-term Garbarino. She has the nomination sewed up for November; to face her, he would need to get past two challengers in Tuesday’s GOP primary — Robert Cornicelli and Mike Rakebrandt.

According to the survey of 500 likely general election voters, questioned between July 21 and 31, Garbarino shows 49% support and Gordon 48%.

A DCCC memo sent to The Point states: “While Jackie Gordon is less known than the incumbent (32% ID compared to 57%), she enjoys a +6-favorability rating. Polling shows that while many voters have made up their mind about her opponent, who has a minus-one net favorability, as Gordon communicates, she stays in the race and even takes the lead.”

Garbarino spokeswoman Kristen Cianci said while the poll “should be taken with a grain of salt,” its one-on-one crafting by the DCCC shows “confidence that Andrew will be the candidate.” Cianci added: “Congressman Garbarino has all the support and the resources to take on Jackie Gordon in November.”

The Democrats gave no sign of having also tested head-to-head numbers for Gordon against Cornicelli or Rakebrandt.

University of Virginia’s national political analyst Larry Sabato recently posted: “In the general election, Gordon would be running in a somewhat friendlier district” than Bridget Fleming, the Democratic contender in CD1, “but Garbarino, now an incumbent, would benefit from a more favorable environment. We are calling NY-1 Leans Republican, while NY-2 will start at Likely Republican.”According to the Brennan Center for Justice, Trump’s share of the 2020 vote within what are now the borders of CD2 comes out 1.52% higher than Biden’s. Within the district’s previous lines, under which Gordon lost to Garbarino last time, Trump ran 4% ahead of Biden.

Which opponent Gordon might prefer to face in the fall is a matter of speculation, with Cornicelli blasting Garbarino as having “turned his back” on President Donald Trump.

When the first round of maps reshaped the district last winter, placing her home outside it, Gordon shifted plans in order to run in CD1. After the courts rewrote those lines, however, Gordon switched back to what may be a more Democrat-friendly CD2.

Part of the argument in the GOP primary has focused on which candidate has the chops to keep the seat Republican.

— Dan Janison @Danjanison

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