This story has been updated
Donald Trump’s return to the White House is causing Democrats nationwide to analyze what went wrong in the most recent election.
Jay Jacobs, chairman of the New York State and Nassau County Democratic Committees, argues that the left wing of the Democratic Party, with assistance from Republicans, gave voters the impression that Democrats were soft on crime and more focused on cultural issues than on the widespread economic pain voters were feeling. His views appear in an opinion piece published in Schneps Media Long Island’s ten newspapers.
“Too many see our party’s most left-leaning activists and elected officials as out of touch,” Jacobs wrote. “Republicans have been far too successful at painting all Democrats with that same brush.”
Jacobs accused the far left wing of the Democratic Party of supporting terrorist group Hamas at times, being indifferent to antisemitism, and said that their failure to demand the release of the hostages held in Gaza was responsible for hemorrhaging the support from their longtime base of Jewish voters.
In the 2024 election, Long Island continued its electoral trend of pushing further right.
In the 2022 midterms, Long Island Republicans blew out Democrats on Long Island, beating them in all four contests and netting the Republicans two seats in the U.S. House as well as being a significant contributor to swinging control of the House back to the Republicans.
For the first time in his three presidential campaigns, Trump flipped several key Democratic strongholds on Long Island to take a decisive majority of local voters.
Trump won Nassau County, a county that had voted Democrat in every presidential election since 1992, 48%-45%, according to the Nassau County Board of Elections.
“On Election Day, Americans delivered a loud and clear message: they are tired of the out-of-touch policies from extreme politicians, and they are ready for sound and sensible solutions.” Chairman of the Nassau County Republican Committee Joseph Cairo Jr. said in an opinion piece published in Schneps Media Long Island’s 10 newspapers.
“That’s exactly what President Donald Trump and Nassau’s Republican candidates and elected officials offered during the 2024 campaign.” Cairo added.
Cairo pointed to numerous issues on which he also believes Democrats were too extreme, including immigration policy, where he accused the party of supporting open borders and sanctuary cities.
Both men concluded their opinion pieces by arguing that their respective political parties were ones of common sense. Jacobs pointed to victories in congressional races by moderate Democrats such as Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen. According to Jacobs, the direction the party needs to go is toward the center.
“The truth is that we are a moderate party. Our problem is has always been and always will be that we see problems and we seek to solve them,” Jacobs wrote. “Republicans see problems, and they seek to exploit them.”
Cairo ended his piece by arguing that “Nassau Republicans succeeded in the 2024 elections with sound and sensible policies, which are responsive to the values and priorities of Nassau neighbors.”
According to Cairo, upcoming legislative priorities for New York Republicans include stopping Gov. Kathy Hochul’s toll tax on drivers entering Manhattan, which will take effect in January. He also said Republicans will continue “rejecting boys competing in girls’ sports” and fighting to keep what he described as sex education out of kindergarten classrooms.
