Democrats lose on Long Island, make gains elsewhere

New York State voters were eligible to vote on Election Day last week on Tuesday, Nov. 7. // Photo Courtesy of David Goldman via AP Photo.

On Tuesday, Nov. 7, American voters participated in elections for governors, state legislatures and referenda in states including, but not limited to, Virginia, Ohio and New York.

Nassau County voters chose their county legislators, town supervisors, councilmembers, mayors and various other administrative positions. In the neighboring Suffolk County, voters also chose the next county executive. All New York voters voted on two constitutional amendments dealing with debt limits for schools and municipalities, both of which overwhelmingly passed.

It was a tough night for Long Island Democrats. The Republican party maintained their majority in the county legislature by a 12-to-7 margin. Incumbent Republican town supervisors and councilmembers were all reelected by wide margins, often by 20 points or more. Republicans unseated a Democratic town councilmember in North Hempstead, and in the biggest news of the night, Republicans won the Suffolk County executive’s seat for the first time in 20 years. The losses continue a trend dating back to 2021 of retreating Democratic power and the ascendancy of Republican control on Long Island, even though Democrats are a plurality of registered voters in the County.

New York State and Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs provided context for Tuesday’s results.

“The Nassau Republicans raised over $4.5 million [compared to the Nassau Democratic Party’s] under-$1.1 million,” Jacobs said. “In spite of that, with Republicans outspending us 4-1 … we stopped their number-one goal of winning another seat to give them a supermajority [in the county legislature].”

Long Island’s election results notwithstanding, Tuesday was arguably a big win for Democrats nationwide. Ohio voters codified the right to an abortion in the state after the 2022 Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson ended the federal right to an abortion. In deep-red Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear was reelected, and a Democrat almost became governor of Mississippi, a state that hasn’t voted for a Democrat for president since 1976. Democrats also flipped the lower house of the Virginia state legislature.

Six Hofstra students were interviewed about Tuesday’s elections. All six were engaged with political issues and provided valuable insight; however, two students interviewed were not aware that there were elections due to a lack of social media presence by local politicians, according to the students.

Ruben Augustine, a sophomore finance major, saw nothing on his social media about the elections. Rayan Bhatti, a freshman computer science major, said it was time for politicians to start establishing a presence on social media to court younger voters.

“That’s where the eyes are, on the screens, so that’s where the politicians need to go,” Bhatti said.

Hofstra students were passionate about a variety of issues, including support for abortion, rights for Palestinians, a desire for strong market growth, fighting climate change and economic inequality. Regardless of their top issues, rejection of partisan politics was a common theme among those interviewed.

“I’m not a Republican or Democrat. I don’t have loyalty to any party,” Augustine said. “If a candidate aligns with [my] values, that’s what I’m choosing for.”

When asked why young people did not vote, skepticism about the ability of young people to impact the political process came up again and again. Aidan Kaplan, a sophomore geographic information systems major, said that the state of national politics is to blame for low youth turnout.

“Young voters see the state of politics in this country and feel that voting won’t change their daily lives,” Kaplan said. Nevertheless, all students interviewed believe that there was power in voting. While they acknowledged that many young people feel that voting does not matter, they believe this perception needs to be strongly challenged, setting a hopeful tone for the political future of Generation Z.

“We’re given the right to vote for a reason,” said Julia Fielding, a freshman public relations major and leadership studies minor. “It’s our responsibility to vote for ourselves and future generations.”