With thousands of absentee ballots still uncounted, Clarkstown Town Clerk Justin Sweet was leading Nyack Trustee Elijah Reichlin-Melnick and Spring Valley Trustee Eudson Francois in Tuesday's primary for the Democratic line in the November election for the 38th District state Senate seat.
For the Republican line, William Weber held a solid lead over first-time candidate Matthew Weinberg.
The district covers most of Rockland County and the Westchester County town of Ossining.
Sweet led Reichlin-Melnik and Francois in Rockland, based in the unofficial tallies released Tuesday night by the Rockland Board of Elections. Francois stayed close to Reichlin-Melnik in third place.
Weber led Weinberg in Rockland, unofficial numbers show.
The voting machine numbers — excluding Ossining tallies — remained unofficial as both contests were far from decided. Thousands of the 27,000 ballots mailed out remained uncounted — easily enough to determine the final outcomes.
Absentee ballots can be returned by June 30. Final certified results could come during the first week of July.
The general election is Nov. 3.
The five candidates all are seeking to succeed David Carlucci, a 10-year senator and former Clarkstown town clerk from New City running in the Democratic primary for Congress to succeed Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, who held the seat for more than three decades since1989.
The Democrat field featured blistering back-and-forths between Sweet and Reichlin-Melnick, with Francois mostly on the sidelines.
Reichlin-Melnick and Sweet pounded away at each other, with the political shots taking on a more personal tone as the primary contest wound down.
ROCKLAND PRIMARIES: GOP and Democrats set for June faceoffs for state Senate seat
STATE SENATE CAMPAIGN: Sweet criticized for NRA ties by Reichlin-Melnick
PRIMARY ELECTIONS: Bitter contests for state Senate and Congress top Tuesday's races
Reichlin-Melnick focused on Sweet's support from pro-gun advocates, including people affiliated with the NRA, and contending he would have voted against the state's gun-control SAFE Act.
Sweet countered that the self-described progressive Reichlin-Melnick received support from a pro-Trump millionaire real estate tycoon Richard LeFrak, who financed an independent conservative political action committee, Hudson Voters for Change. The PAC sent out a mailer boosting Reichlin-Melnick's candidacy, though he argued he had no connection to the PAC or LeFrak.
The animosity heated up when Reichlin-Melnick publicly said he rejected a request from a Hasidic Jewish leader to promise to oppose an East Ramapo school district monitor who would have veto power over the board's decisions.
Reichlin-Melnick said the community leaders decided to back Sweet with the bloc's votes, claiming his opponent told the bloc leaders what they wanted to hear. Sweet called Reichlin-Melnick's claims a lie. Sweet said he would vote for a veto-powered monitor and treat all constituencies fairly, though Reichlin-Melnick claimed Sweet's position was never that precise when asked during the campaign.
Sweet and Reichlin-Melnick were the campaign's big spenders in the race. Sweet has gotten $61,285 in donations, while Reichlin-Melnick received $118,874. Francois raised under $5,000 and has sent out a single mailer, compared with the numerous mailers from Reichlin-Melnick and Sweet.
GOP contest
Weber, a corporate accountant from Montebello, fended off Weinberg, of Suffern, who once worked for Lowey, D-Harrison, and the late Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, while attending Arizona State University. Weber became the choice of the GOP leadership after Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann entered the race and soon decided against running.
During the campaign, Weber touted his civic work and years of advocacy for good government in Ramapo. His wife, Lee, is acting superintendent for the Suffern School District.
Weinberg said Rockland needs a new hospital, contending residents pay high taxes and need a reliable health care system. He also said he supported school choice with a strong public system and cutting taxes by cutting unnecessary spending.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal. Read more articles and bio. Twitter: @lohudlegal. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.
"sweet" - Google News
June 24, 2020 at 02:29PM
https://ift.tt/2YvJKwm
NY primary: Sweet, Weber lead races for 38th state Senate seat - The Journal News
"sweet" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2PcPlld
https://ift.tt/2KSpWvj
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NY primary: Sweet, Weber lead races for 38th state Senate seat - The Journal News"
Post a Comment