Election Day in Nassau County and New York City featured mixed results.  Republicans won many races in Nassau County, such as County Executive and District Attorney, while the Democrats took home an important win in the New York City mayoral race.

Republican Bruce Blakeman defeated incumbent County Executive Democrat Laura Curran.  Republicans such as Blakeman had an effective campaign strategy, as they spent large amounts of money on campaign ads that would be seen on platforms such as YouTube.   While the race has not been officially called, as there are 22,000 absentee ballots left to be counted, the Blakeman campaign feels very confident about their chances of victory and declared victory after having a 12,000-vote lead over the incumbent Curran.  Some of the policies that Blakeman supports are cutting taxes, creating more jobs and economic development, and making Nassau County an affordable place for residents to live.

In the race for Nassau County District Attorney, Republican Anne Donnelly defeated Democrat Todd Kaminsky by a sizable margin.  The new District Attorney has been a longtime prosecutor who is a strong advocate against bail reform laws.  One of the main aspects of Donnelly’s campaign which she emphasized strongly and appealed to voters was her tough stance on crime and desire to keep residents safe.  Donnelly declared victory, marking another win for Republicans in Nassau County.

There are mixed opinions as for whether or not Nassau County will continue to vote red for a long period of time.  Some believe that the County’s shift to red is continuing to increase, while others believe it is a reaction to Democratic policies on the national and local level. 

“I do not believe Nassau County will stay Republican forever, but I think it will stay like this for a few years, especially since a large portion of Nassau County is right leaning.  However, as more left-leaning people move to Nassau, it will switch back,” said freshman Spencer Cohen. 

In the New York City mayoral race, Democrat Eric Adams defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa by a very large margin, as Adams acquired roughly 67% of votes from New Yorkers.  This victory did not come as a surprise, however, considering that the city is a left-wing stronghold, where policies such as gun control are overwhelmingly popular.  Eric Adams is conservative on some social policies, most notably the mask mandate, which he supports modifying.

“There might be some shift in ideology, but not party wise, because for the most part, the Democrats are evolving to protect from any Republican gains,” said senior Ian Levine.

Eric Adams was such an appealing candidate for residents of New York City because he easily connected with the younger generations, such as when he required the city to pay his salary in Bitcoin.  The NYC Mayor-elect recently announced his transition team as he prepares to take office in January, and stated that some of his early priorities were focusing on crime and transit in the city.

Certain trends were noticed in the recent elections, and they have many wondering about the status of future elections and which party may dominate.  There was a lower turnout with Democratic voters, millennials, and African-Americans (two groups Democrats usually perform well with), and a higher turnout from Republican voters.  Democrats have recognized that in order to win future elections they will need to do a more efficient job in reaching out to all groups of people and campaigning to the masses.

The future of Nassau County has come to a grey zone, as there are uncertainties as to which party will be able to win the majority of local elections.  With a potential Trump campaign in 2024, the Republican party may lose some support in Nassau County, but if he chooses not to run, Republicans may continue their successes on Election Day.