Nassau GOP out slugging; where are the Democrats?

There's little more than six weeks until local town and county elections on Nov. 7. That's usually prime campaigning season.

But while GOP has been campaigning by mail, social media and on television; there seems to be little Democrat response at this point.

Take North Hempstead. The town had been Democratic controlled for 40 years but then Jennifer DeSena, a Democrat running as a Republican, won the supervisor's job two years ago. Several Republicans were elected to the town board but Democrats still retained the majority.

This year, former Democratic Supervisor Jon Kaiman is challenging DeSena. 

The Nassau GOP has been mailing campaign attacks against Kaiman since August. Last week it aired its first Anti-Kaiman commercials on local television stations.

The tv ad labels Kaiman,who served from 2004 through 2013,  as a "serial tax hiker" who raised his own pay by 33 percent, while saying DeSena cut taxes.

And where is Kaiman? Like DeSena, he's making the rounds of community events but his only video so far is on the North Hempstead Democratic Party Facebook page. It extolls Kaiman's record and doesn't take any shots at DeSena or the Republicans.

From North HEmpstead Democratic Party Facebook page, Kaiman in the middle

"Let's stay positive," Kaiman says in the video. "Lets' look forward. Let's do this together."

Nassau GOP as well as DeSena also announced that she has received the endorsement of all three Nassau police unions, the PBA, the Detectives Association and the Superior Officers Association.

It's not surprising that the incumbent Republican supervisor should get police support but the GOP points out that the unions endorsed the entire Republican slate in North Hempstead.

Kaiman's campaign page announces that he has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and the Sierra Club as well as an expected group of current and former Democratic elected officials, such as State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli,  U.S. Sens.  Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

It would be more surprising if the Democrats did not endorse Kaiman.

Speaking of police endorsements.

The three police unions last week reportedly endorsed Republican Nassau  legislative candidate Samantha Goetz, who is challenging incumbent Josh Lafazan (D-Woodbury) for the 18th legislative district.

Samantha Goetz

The endorsements make a mockery of a recent Lafazan mailing, in which he claims to be the only candidate supported by law enforcement.

 

False claims? But what else is new? 

Goetz also was endorsed by the regional CSEA political action committee and the Long Island Federation of Labor.