Long Islanders react to the midterm elections

Amid a deluge of punditry analyzing the 2022 midterms, we asked readers after Election Day had passed to tell us why they voted as they did – and they responded. Long Islanders weighed individual candidates – mostly gubernatorial contenders Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin – but also the parties at large. They carefully explained the issues or feelings that motivated them. And, no surprise, their responses mirrored our nationwide divide.

On one side, there were readers like Rosemary Costabile of Levittown, who wrote, “The country is a mess right now, and the Democrats are responsible.”

On the other, Frank Lopiccolo of Franklin Square explained, “I voted Democrat across the board because I’m afraid of what the GOP stands for now.”

Many other readers wrote independently of our request, with a variety of insightful election-related opinions.

Barbara Graziano of Riverhead complained about the two major parties cross-endorsing judges, leaving her in one case with six choices for six positions. “It is an insult to both my intelligence and to American democracy,” she wrote.

Bob Fredericks of Shelter Island Heights blamed Sen. Chuck Schumer and Attorney General Letitia James for poor performances by other Democrats, saying that with their own elections virtually guaranteed they had “wasted” their money on “vainglorious ads” for themselves instead of sharing it with candidates who really needed it.

President Joe Biden’s contention that “democracy is on the ballot” attracted the attention of Chuck Cutolo of Westbury, who wrote that the results confirmed it. Not accepting an election outcome, Cutolo wrote, “would be like playing a game of tag where one player refuses to acknowledge he’s ‘it’ regardless of how clearly and firmly he is touched. The game would simply fall apart.”

And Mark Tarantino of Freeport complained about the billions of dollars spent on political ads during the cycle and said the money “would have been better spent informing the people of the candidate or party’s position, rather than citing half-truths and lies about the other’s position.”

One position about which we’re pretty clear: Election letters, like election punditry, will continue.

- Michael Dobie