Santos replaced a Democrat who replaced a Democrat.
That said I’m way too familiar with that chunk of Long Island. It’s insanely white and includes some of the NY Metro Area’s richest suburbs. The local MAGA movement is centered there, a bunch of Jan 6 people (including a guy I went to highschool with) live in the area. The population is old. It’s racist as fuck.
It’s not a deep red district but the Democratic voters there are blue dogs and limousine liberals. And the rest are Trump’s major campaign donors. It’s not a deep red district but it’s always a flippable district, especially if there isn’t an incumbant. And Tom Suozzi didn’t pursue re-election to chase after the Governor’s nom.
If there’s a fuckup by the state DNC here, it’s that. They let a well liked incumbent, leave an at risk seat, to mount a primary challenge against a DNC incumbent governor.
Owing to the pretty split nature of the area, though Nassau county has more regularly skewed Democratic recently. (Suozzi was the county exec before he was in Congress). A lot of county level politics operates on “run for whatever party has an opening” basis. Especially with DAs. And public corruption is a major problem in NY State as whole. Some what particularly on Long Island. Suffolk County’s former long time DA is currently in federal prison.
Donelley isn’t a MAGAT, she was an ADA with that office for decades and served under DNC and GOP DAs and County Executives. Pretty bog standard, moderately right wing, career civil servant. Mostly elected on a platform of bail reform bad, police good. Which sells on Long Island whoever is pushing it.
A Republican DA, investigating a Republican Congressman. For corruption issues. Is exactly the sort of meat and potatoes, play the middle thing that ensures re-election there.
I’d expect problems in the fascist direction will come more from the far right attacking RINOS! for something something elections.
