Chin up, Josh. You weren't last

                                                                                   

Primary results from the State Board of Election website

So the primary results are in and the biggest spender -- in the only Democratic race in Nassau that seemed to generate any enthusiasm on a hot August day -- came in third.

Nassau Legis. Josh Lafazan, a Woodbury Democrat, finished behind winner Robert Zimmerman, a national Democratic committeeman from Great Neck,  and former North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman  in a five-way primary for the Democratic nomination to run for the Third Congressional seat being vacated U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove).

Josh Lafazan

He ended up ahead of Community organizer Melanie D’Arrigo and businesswoman Reema Rasool.

There was a near 13 percent voter turnout in the 3rd District race.

But it looks like Lafazan spent hundreds of thousands of dollars more than any of his rivals.

Assuredly, there may have been big fluctuations since the last Aug. 3 spending reports were posted on the Federal Election Campaign website.

But through Aug. 3 Lafazan had spent about $241 for every vote he got on Tuesday. Do the math: he spent $1,278,894.70 for 5,296 votes.

In comparison, through Aug. 3,  Zimmerman spent a little more than $100 for each vote he got in the primary. ($954,498.21 in expenditures for 9,482 votes.)

Kaiman spent even less: $65.70 for each of his 6,884 votes. ($452,306.29 in expenditures through Aug. 3).

Jon Kaiman

Lafazan's spending per vote doesn't include the taxpayer money he spent on a county mailer earlier this month that he sent to county constituents touting his achievements as a legislator.

Nassau legislative Democrats last week would not release the numbers because, their counsel said, they need to figure out whether the costs of the mailer are public record and will need 20 days to decide.

Going into the primary, Lafazan had Suozzi's endorsement and Suozzi's campaign spokeswoman, Kim Devlin, who started speaking for Lafazan after Suozzi in June lost his bid for the Democratic nomination to run for governor.

Lafazan  had his own internal poll from June that showed him neck and neck with Kaiman; each receiving about 20 percent of the vote and way ahead of  Zimmerman at 10 percent, Newsday reported then, though there were some 43 percent of voters undecided.

Then Newsday reported last month that the nationally known pollster, FiveThirtyEight, a website that focuses on poll analysis around politics, economics, and sports, predicted that Lafazan would win the primary and even beat Republican Congressional candidate George Santos in the 3rd District race.

However, Zimmerman in July said his own poll showed he was at 17 percent, Kaiman at 13 percent, D'Arrigo at 12 percent and Lafazan at 10 percent.

See the above count from the State Board of Elections, though still unofficial: Zimmerman 35 percent; Kaiman 26 percent and Lafazan 20 percent.

Guess you can't trust polls.

Note that in District 4 -- the primary for the Congressional seat being vacated by Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) -- former Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen trounced her three Democratic opponents, even though Nassau Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs said early on that he favored Malverne Mayor Keith Corbett, who finished third.

Gillen was the biggest spender according to the FEC Aug. 3 reports. In this primary race, that makes sense. The District 4 race generated much less excitement than the Zimmerman-Kaiman-Lafazan face-off. Turnout was just under 9 percent in the race.