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Give Smart: Donate $80 to 8 Democrats Who Could Flip 8 Legislative Chambers

Oct
16
2018

Democrats have been breaking fundraising records all year. With elections just three weeks away you probably want to donate, but it’s hard to tell whether a candidate really needs your money. That’s why we want you to Give Smart.

Now, don’t get us wrong, the hundreds of thousands of small donors to candidates like Beto O’Rourke, Lauren Underwood, Sharice Davids and Amy McGrath are making a difference. But with only a month to go until the election they seem pretty set on the money front. The difference between $30,000,000 of TV ads and $30,000,020 of TV ads seems pretty miniscule.

So where can your money make a big difference? State legislative races. The Obama era saw massive policy regression at...| read more ››

4 Senate seats emerging as the key battlegrounds in November

Oct
11
2018

ALBANY — After months in which both parties have hyped their chances in a slew of state Senate races, financial disclosure forms released earlier this week provided the first real look at which races they think are actually worth investing in.
Four races stand out as the ones that have attracted the most interest from the parties’ centralized accounts and super PACs in the state — those held by Democratic Sen. John Brooks and Republican Sen. Carl Marcellino, and those being vacated by Republicans John DeFrancisco and Bill Larkin. There are 11 others that have attracted notable amounts of spending, most of which are currently held by the Republicans who are attempting to hold onto a one-seat majority.
...| read more ››

Gaughran Happy To Get F Rating From Rifle And Pistol Association

Oct
10
2018

Democratic state Senate candidate Jim Gaughran this week touted his “F” rating from the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association — a designation he says highlights his support for gun control legislation.

Gaughran is challenging Republican Sen. Carl Marcellino on Long Island, where backing of gun control is considered especially strong.

“Before today, I was never proud to receive an ‘F’ grade; but I am going to wear this score as a badge of honor,” Gaughran said. “I haven’t been shy to tell the gun lobby what I think about firearm safety and the need to protect Long Island from weapons of war. While Senator Carl Marcellino has helped block gun safety bills for decades, I am going to...| read more ››

LI has the 3 most endangered state senators, money flow shows

Oct
9
2018

ALBANY — If you want to know where the three most endangered incumbents in the New York Senate are, take a look at where Democratic and Republican campaign committees are funneling money.

The answer: Three Long Island races.

No other Senate incumbents are getting more help from their party's campaign committees than Sen. Elaine Phillips (R-Flower Hill), Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) and Sen. John Brooks (D-Seaford), according to campaign-finance statements published this week by the state Board of Elections.

All three are locked in tight races that will help determine which party wins Senate control in November.

Republicans are trying to maintain their 32-31 advantage in the Senate — the one area of state government they control — in a...| read more ››

Marcellino and Gaughran combine to spend over $800K in recent months

Oct
5
2018

The northern Long Island state Senate seat held by Republican Carl Marcellino since 1995 was the site of the third-costliest election in the state two years ago, with Marcellino and Democrat Jim Gaughran combing to spend $4.4 million.

And as the two prepare for a rematch of a race that the incumbent won by one point, they appear to be ramping up their spending.

Marcellino's campaign committee has spent $383,000 since mid-July, according to a disclosure report submitted to the state Board of Elections. That's compared to $98,000 he spent in the comparable filing period four years ago, and even more than the $341,000 he spent when former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi helped organize an aggressive campaign against Marcellino...| read more ››

Cuomo Begins Push to Flip State Senate and House of Representatives

Oct
3
2018

Among the Democratic state Senate candidates who have Cuomo’s support are some who are challenging incumbents and others running for open seats. He is also bolstering two Democratic Senators facing Republican challengers. They include Monica Martinez who is challenging Dean Murray in District 3; Lou D’Amaro, who is challenging Sen. Phil Boyle in District 4; Jim Gaughran, who is challenging Sen. Carl Marcellino in District 5; Anna Kaplan, who is challenging Sen. Elaine Phillips in District 7; Peter Harkham, who is challenging Sen. Terrence Murphy in District 40; Karyn Smythe who is challenging Sen. Sue Serino in District 41; Gounardes challenging Golden in District 22; and Democratic Senators John Brooks, who is being challenged by Massapequa Park Mayor Jeff Pravato in District 8, and Todd Kaminsky,| read more ››

Former President Barack Obama endorses Long Island Democrats for state Senate

Oct
2
2018

ALBANY — Former President Barack Obama has endorsed eight Democrats including two on Long Island who hope to help the party win majority control of the state Senate from Republicans.

Obama endorsed Sen. John Brooks (D-Seaford), who faces Republican Jeff Pravato, mayor of Massapequa Park. Senate Democrats and Republicans are making the seat a priority because of its potential to flip.

Obama also is backing Suffolk County Water Authority Chairman Jim Gaughran, who is challenging Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset).

Obama also endorsed former Suffolk Legis. Louis D'Amaro, who is challenging state Sen. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore); Assemb. James Skoufis (D-Woodbury) who faces Republican Tom Basile, a Stony Point councilman, for the seat vacated by Sen. William Larkin, who retired this...| read more ››

Child Victims Act becomes an issue in state senate race

Oct
1
2018

Accusing his opponent of protecting criminals who prey on children, Democratic state senate candidate James Gaughran announced last week for the Child Victim’s Act and he proposes legislation to prohibit anyone on the state’s sex offender registry from owning a gun and requiring that convicted sex only be allowed to vote by absentee ballot.
Mr. Gaughran held a press conference September 20 which was attended by Protect by kids founder Gary Greenberg, who announced his organization’s endorsement of Mr. Gaughran in his campaign against Republican State Senator Carlo Marcellino (R-Syosset). Also at the press conference was Assemblyman Charles Lavine, a Democrat from Nassau County, who criticized Mr. Marcellino and senate Republicans for blocking the Child Victims Act from coming...| read more ››

Democrats see chance to flip state Senate in November

Oct
1
2018

WOODBURY - Nassau Democrats are rallying in an effort to flip the state Senate out of Republican control.

The Democrats say they are hoping anti-Trump animus will lead to a blue wave at the ballot box in November.

“We saw in the primary that happened just a couple of weeks ago, how many Democrats came out. Three times the number of Democrats who voted in 2014, voted in 2018, so something's afoot,” says Nassau Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs.

In the state Senate, Republicans maintain control, but just barely. Their slim majority is even more tenuous after Sen. Tom Croci, of Sayville, announced he would not seek reelection earlier this year. Long Island is still represented by a formidable bloc of...| read more ››

The Point: Vote of confidence

Sep
28
2018

It’s not easy to get an endorsement from the Long Island Environmental Voters Forum, and that remains true this cycle. In more than 40 state and federal races that Long Islanders will weigh in on in November, the group has endorsed 11 candidates.

The criteria, forum president Dick Amper said, is simple.

“If you’re an incumbent, you have to have done something good for the environment. If you’re a challenger, it has to be a priority,” Amper told The Point. “In this cycle, it would be hard to get an endorsement if you weren’t doing something about water quality.”

The forum supported Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in his re-election bid. In congressional races, it picked Democratic challenger Perry Gershon over...| read more ››

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