The Congressional, State, and Local Races That Will Shape Our Community
Governor
Hochul vs. Blakeman
This year is a midterm election in which every seat in the House of Representatives is on the ballot across this country. Often regarded as a referendum on the president’s popularity, the election could swing the House majority toward the Democratic opposition even as President Donald J. Trump makes personal appearances in many of the districts to stump for fellow Republicans seeking to preserve their hold on the legislative branch. In New York State, races for Congress haven’t received as much press in the Jewish community as the races for Governor and State Attorney General, themselves regarded as representative of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s popularity across the state that shares the city’s name.
Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed Mamdani during his run for mayor last year, snubbing her former boss, Andrew Cuomo, whose job she inherited after he resigned amid scandal. For Jewish voters, her visit to Israel following the October 7 attack, participation in the Israel Day Parade, funding for security for Jewish organizations, and speaking out against anti-Semitism have earned her support among some chareidi rabbanim and activists, but not among most Orthodox Jews who are angry at Hochul for not publicly condemning Mamdani’s constant slandering of Israel as a genocidal state practicing apartheid.
Republican Bruce Blakeman is running on his record as Nassau County executive, noting his record in fighting crime, opposing illegal immigration, and promising that, as governor, he will be a persistent foil to Mamdani and fellow Democratic Socialist lawmakers in Albany.
Attorney General
James vs. Komatireddy
In the race for state attorney general, incumbent Letitia James appears to be on the same page as Hochul, a frequent guest at Jewish events, including the parade. But with the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, her civil enforcement action against the small but vocal nationalist group Beitar, while ignoring threats against Jews coming from the political left, raises questions about whether James is impartial in examining the sources of extremist behavior.
Her Republican opponent, Saritha Komatireddy, received positive ratings for her debate performance against James and promised to declare a state of emergency over anti-Semitism. The Trump administration’s effort to deport pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has raised questions about the limits of protected speech, particularly by noncitizens, but it brought to light allegations concerning his role in the unsafe environment experienced by Jewish students at Columbia University. We can expect Komatireddy to vigorously prosecute like-minded activists who are disrupting Jewish events at schools and synagogues.
Here are some local races that have not received as much attention and are also worthy of your vote:
State Comptroller
DiNapoli vs. Hernandez
Going against the trend in his party, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli promised to continue investing the state’s pension fund in Israel Bonds after his city counterpart, Mark Levine, announced his decision not to resume purchasing them. Now serving under a fourth governor, he is seeking his fifth full elected term in office. Earlier this year, Jewish voters contributed to DiNapoli’s primary victory over Raj Goyle and Drew Warshaw. Goyle had the endorsement of Mamdani ally Ali Najmi and other opponents of Israel. He is a reliable ally of the Jewish community with the ability to counter the DSA using his role as the state’s top fiscal officer. His Republican opponent, Joseph Hernandez, is a Cuban refugee with a background in biotechnology that saves lives. His platform includes cutting government spending and investigating fraud with a dedicated task force.
Congress, District 6
Meng vs. Chou
In the congressional district covering central Queens, Grace Meng is running for her eighth term, a familiar name to readers of this newspaper for her constituent services, presence in the community, and supportive voting record concerning Israel. Earlier this year, while DSA candidates succeeded in toppling moderate incumbents in other congressional districts in this city, Jewish voters made the difference in Meng’s primary win against Chuck Park. Surprisingly, her Republican opponent, Joseph Chou, speaks of his faith and conservative values, being raised by his mother after she fled an abusive marriage, and starting a business. But his social media comments concerning AIPAC are out of step with his party and this district.
Congress, District 3
Suozzi vs. LiPetri
In the third Congressional District, which covers Whitestone, Bayside, and the North Shore of Long Island, Republican Mike LiPetri is in a rematch against Democratic incumbent Tom Suozzi. With Blakeman enjoying hometown support across Nassau County, local Republican candidates are hoping that his supporters will vote down the party line for all seats on the ballot. Among the issues where LiPetri stands out is his opposition to the Propel NY Energy project, the 90-mile underground and undersea electric transmission project designed to modernize the region’s power grid, which has drawn strong opposition from residents. At the same time, he is not opposed to wind power to generate electricity, as a former canvasser for Citizens Campaign for the Environment.
Suozzi is a co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and a reliable supporter of Israel and Ukraine. On local issues, he also opposes the current electric cable proposal, calling Long Island Sound “our national park.” He opposes President Trump’s heavy-handed immigration crackdown and blames the rise in fuel costs on the war with Iran, arguing for a gradual withdrawal from this conflict.
The State Senate seat covering Great Neck, Roslyn, and parts of Oyster Bay has a name familiar to Queens residents: Rory Lancman. After moving to the suburbs, the former assemblyman and councilman continues to actively participate in local politics by running for State Senate against Republican Jake Blumencranz for the seat being left open by Jack Martins, who is not seeking reelection. Lancman has a deeper résumé in government, but he is a newcomer to his district. Can he earn the trust of voters against a much younger assemblyman with deeper ties to the region?
Congress, District 4
Gillen vs. Driscoll
The fourth Congressional District covers West Hempstead and the Five Towns, where Democratic incumbent Laura Gillen literally stood out, clapping at Trump’s 2025 address to a joint session of Congress honoring a child with cancer while her party colleagues remained seated. Like Suozzi, she speaks of her record in bipartisan work to address affordability on Long Island and is outspoken in supporting Israel. While her colleagues on the Hill congratulated Mamdani after his primary victory last year, Gillen slammed him for promoting “a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable anti-Semitic comments.”
Her Republican opponent, Jeanine Driscoll, is the receiver of taxes for the Town of Hempstead and was backed by Trump during his visit to Long Island in August. Gillen is using that endorsement to say that Driscoll will be representing Trump rather than the district, noting how the crackdown on Haitian immigrants is hurting constituents in Elmont and Valley Stream.
The town supervisor is the suburban counterpart to the mayor, although the powers of the offices differ. John Ferretti of Levittown promises to keep taxes low and maintain the suburban character of the town even as demand for housing is making Hempstead’s communities unaffordable for new homebuyers. His Democratic opponent, Joe Scianablo, is a Marine veteran and former city cop who also speaks of keeping taxes low while examining the town’s budget more closely, arguing that it is run by a Republican political machine that offers little transparency to the public. Like Suozzi and Gillen, he is running as a moderate, while Ferretti is tying his opponent to Hochul, who is not popular among voters in this town. Whether the results of this race reflect party-line voting or a focus on local issues will be seen after the election.
West Hempstead’s Republican Assemblyman Ed Ra was first elected in 2010, with a comfortable margin in every reelection since then. Although he is in the minority party, Ra argues that his seniority and ability to work with colleagues across the aisle have delivered results for his district in funding special education, increasing the income threshold for the senior property-tax exemption, and advancing a proposal for an exemption for first-time homebuyers. His Democratic opponent, Colleen Connaughton of Garden City, has not been visible in my community. The former international journalist describes herself as purple rather than deep blue, understanding that this district does not have much tolerance for progressive candidates.
The State Senate seat covering West Hempstead has Democratic incumbent Siela Bynoe running against Republican Matt Capp. The district includes heavily Democratic Hempstead, Roosevelt, and Lakeview, where voters can give Bynoe another term. In his role as a Republican activist, our columnist Moshe Hill introduced Capp to his neighbors, informing him of issues that matter to the Jewish community. Capp presently works as a spokesman for Ferretti and has an interest in preserving local history.
Nassau County Legislature
Hill vs. Nicks
At the county level, West Hempstead voters will see Hill running for the second time for county legislator. A columnist for this newspaper and conservative news sites, he speaks of keeping taxes low while improving roads, cleaning up parks, and redeveloping the Nassau Coliseum site as a revenue-generating opportunity for the county. Democratic incumbent Olena Nicks of Uniondale is a former library trustee and volunteer firefighter. Since her district was drawn to include West Hempstead, she has appeared at Jewish events and met with community leaders to discuss security and quality of life.
Assembly, District 23
Osina vs. Sullivan
In Far Rockaway, longtime political staffer Pesach Osina is also running in an open race for the Assembly seat covering southern Queens, running on his experience as an advocate for resiliency against storms, expanding transit, and fighting crime. His Republican opponent, Tom Sullivan of Breezy Point, is an Army veteran and small-business owner. The district has supported Republican presidential and gubernatorial candidates in recent elections, but Osina is not a progressive, expressing willingness to publicly condemn members of his party who are promoting the genocide smear against Israel.
“My job right now is to find a common denominator and work with my colleagues to ensure that resources are coming back to the community,” he told JNS in an interview also published by the New York Post. “Of course, if a colleague disagrees with members of the community, then we would have to call out that person.”
Although the Orthodox community in the Five Towns is regarded as solidly Republican, the Democratic candidate for State Senate is Lisa “Malkie” Vider of Hewlett Bay Park, a health care executive running against incumbent Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick. Describing her political identity as a fiscally conservative, moderate Democrat, Vider seeks to bring her experience in the health care industry to legislation concerning affordability and access to care. With Democratic Socialists picking up seats in Albany, her voice would be helpful in countering their influence regarding BDS legislation, joining fellow Orthodox lawmakers Sam Berger, Aron Wieder, Simcha Eichenstein, and State Senator Sam Sutton.
At the same time, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick offers experience as a lawmaker with a deeper résumé in government, having served as Malverne’s village trustee, deputy mayor, fire commissioner, and police commissioner. The ninth Senate District covers a portion of West Hempstead.
For city voters, the back of the ballot offers five questions concerning approvals for the construction of outdoor dining sheds, reducing the mayor’s questionnaire for contractors, simplifying the approval process for bike and bus lanes, moving waterfront permitting from the Department of Small Business Services to the Department of Buildings, and setting a target amount of money to hold in reserve funds, including a rainy-day fund. The first three questions here would give more power to the mayor while reducing the ability of communities and their respective Council Members to oppose city construction goals. Voters opposed to giving the mayor’s office more power should vote no on four of these five proposals.
Beyond Queens and Long Island, other noteworthy local races to watch include the Assembly seat for southern Brooklyn, where Republican incumbent Michael Novakhov is a household name on account of his background as a Russian-speaking radio host who led rallies against Mamdani. His Democratic opponent, Joey Cohen-Saban, comes from Brooklyn’s Syrian Jewish community. They are aligned in supporting Israel and opposing the DSA. The results in this race will reflect whether voters here prefer a member of the majority party to represent them or an outspoken member of the president’s party with experience in Albany.
Early voting ends on Sunday, November 1, with results reported after polls close at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, Election Day.
