Republicans say their party’s county executive wins in the Hudson Valley and elsewhere in New York State bode well for the 2014 governor’s race.
The New York Republican State Committee’s executive director Michael Lawler was celebrating in Westchester County Tuesday night with supporters of incumbent Republican County Executive Rob Astorino, who won re-election to a second term in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 2-to-1. Here’s Lawler.
He was especially excited about the wins in Westchester and Nassau Counties, two counties that lie right outside New York City. He notes Westchester’s Astorino won by keeping taxes and spending low, same as incumbent Republican Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.
Paul Basinski, a political science professor at Orange County Community College, says low voter turnout can be a contributing factor to the GOP wins.
Republican Chester Town Supervisor Steven Neuhaus handily beat Democratic County Legislator Roxanne Donnery for Orange County executive. Basinski explains why Republicans may benefit from low voter turnout.
Governor Andrew Cuomo endorsed, in person, the Democratic county executive candidates for Nassau and Westchester Counties; Thomas Suozzi and Noam Bramson, respectively. The GOP’s Lawler sees the Republican wins in these counties are a potential statement for the governor’s race in 2014.
Here’s Basinski:
He points to the controversy over Cuomo’s gun control measure – the SAFE Act – as an example of an issue that could be shaking down at the local voting booths.
Earlier this year, Astorino was floated as a potential candidate to challenge Cuomo in the 2014 election. In October, a Siena Research Institute poll showed Cuomo with a 2-to-1 favorability rating, and a majority of those surveyed said they are prepared to re-elect him as governor. The poll also found Cuomo’s overall job performance improved. Calls to the state Democratic Committee were not returned in time for this broadcast.
