Hillary and Kamala get the headlines, but top Republicans are in New York too

                                                                            

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin (from NBCny.com)

The news seems focused on national Democrats campaigning for Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is seeking the governor's office on her own next week after inheriting it from Andrew Cuomo in Aug. 2021.

Namely, former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who also happens to be married to former President Bill Clinton, and Vice President Kamala Harris were to appear with Hochul in New York City today.

Jill Biden, Joe's wife,  appeared last weekend with Hochul and Democrat Robert Zimmerman, who is running against Republican George Santos for the 3rd Congressional District.

But Republican Lee Zeldin, who is challenging Hochul, also has been getting some love from national Republicans.

So is Democratic Congressional candidate Anthony D'Esposito, who is running against Democrat Laura Gillen for the 4th District Congressional seat.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis appeared with Zeldin, a  Shirley Congressman, last Saturday in Hauppauge -- an event that Republicans contend drew 6,000 supporters. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined Zeldin in Westchester on Monday.

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise, the House minority whip,  showed up for the Nassau GOP rally in Franklin Square last night. Scalise reportedly brought four other Congress members with him.

Today, Congressional minority leader Kevin McCarthy was expected to appear at a fund raiser for D'Esposito.

Former Democrat, Tulsi Gabbard, is scheduled to appear with Zeldin, on Saturday.

 Some wonder if these rallies convince anybody to vote. But they definitely energize the party's base.

Republicans estimate 1,500 people showed up for the rally last night at the Plattduetsche Park catering hall in Franklin Square.

Republican Rally

Democrats contend a total of about 1,500 supporters showed up last weekend for the Jill Biden event and a labor rally hosted by union leader John Durso.

Democratic Union rally

Jill Biden rally

Meanwhile Gillen is retweeting a Anthony D'Esposito story that her campaign planted in the New York Daily News

Gillen-D'Esposito debate at Newsday.com

How do we know she planted it? Because Mike Fricchione, her press officer when she was Hempstead Town Supervisor, sent out a news release to most of the media complaining about D'Espositos' job at the Nassau Elections Board. It included a copy of a letter that Gillen sent to the county attorney, asking him to compel D'Esposito, who is also a Hempstead Town Board member,  to step down.

Unfortunately Gillen had the name wrong for the county attorney. It's Tom Adams, not Anthony Adams.

Gillen is right in the sense that the Nassau Board of Elections has always been a patronage cesspool, for both Republicans and Democrats. 

Lose an election? Get a job at the elections board: Such as former Democratic North Hempstead  Twon Clerk Wayne Wink or former Republican Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony Santino, who subsequently retired.

Need a job? Get employment at the elections board:  Such as Democrat Robert Troiano, a former county legislator and now North Hempstead town board member, and yes, D'esposito, who retired as a dectective from the New York City police department and needed another job.

But if its' wrong for  D'Esposito to oversee his own election, isn't it wrong for Democratic election Commissioner James Scheureman to oversee the election of his wife, Jaclene Agazarian,  who is cross-endorsed and running for District Court judge next week?

Here is the Gillen news release:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: Laura Gillen for Congress
Contact: Mike Fricchione 

NY HOUSE CANDIDATE OVERSEEING OWN ELECTION ASKED TO STEP DOWN

Republican Congressional Hopeful Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04) is Currently Overseeing His Own Election and is in Position to Count His Own Ballots as Early Voting Starts this Weekend -

(NASSAU COUNTY, NY) October 27, 2022 – Today, Laura Gillen, candidate for Congress, called on Nassau County to compel her opponent to step down from his paid position at the Nassau County Board of Elections until a winner is certified in the interest of a free and fair election devoid of any conflicts of interest. The call comes as early voting in New York is about to start this Saturday.

“It’s totally unethical for someone to be simultaneously a major party candidate, as well as an official overseeing their own election. It’s like the fox guarding the hen house,” said Laura Gillen, Democrat running in NY-04. “Republicans have repeatedly raised issues around election security, so they should understand that having one of their candidates in a position to count his own ballots is the very opposite of a free and fair election. My opponent should not have access to any resources that are being used at the Board of Elections to oversee our election.”

Republican Congressional hopeful Anthony D’Esposito is currently an employee at the Nassau County Board of Elections and receives a $100,000 per year salary for his job, which includes dealing with  “election cybersecurity,” according to Newsday. Furthermore, the Nassau County Board of Elections is an active polling site where political candidates would have access to voters, along with sensitive voting information.

Below is the letter from Laura Gillen to the Nassau County Attorney’s Office:


Office of the Nassau County Attorney
Anthony A. Adams
One West Street
Mineola, NY 11501


Dear Mr. Adams,


Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our Democracy, yet our country seems to be witnessing newer and more extreme attempts to undermine that basic principle at every turn. It should come to your attention that Anthony D’Esposito is not only a county employee, but is my political opponent running for an open Congressional seat this year.

According to County records, Anthony D’Esposito is paid approximately $100,000 a year for helping deal with “election cyber-security” amongst other tasks.  This is not only a potential conflict of interest but is entirely unethical and poses a severe risk to the voters’ faith in a fair and accurate vote count.

With early voting about to commence in New York, I urge the County to immediately compel my opponent to temporarily step down until a winner is certified, as well as revoke his access to buildings, materials and online security systems that are used to oversee a free and fair election this year. Just as troubling, the Nassau County Board of Elections will be an active polling site where my opponent has free and uninhibited access to potentially sensitive voting materials, including ballots, along with the voters casting ballots.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.


Sincerely,


Laura A. Gillen
Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, NY-04