Primary voters may tip state Senate race

All eyes will be on New York next Tuesday, April 19, when voters head to the polls in the first significant presidential primary in the state in nearly 30 years. 

“There is no question that this is the first time I can remember that the Democratic nomination is still in play,” said Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs. “I don’t remember a case where both parties were competing so vigorously in the primary on the same day in New York.”

Even in relatively high-turnout years such as 2008, primaries attract far fewer voters than general elections, according to the Pew Research Center, but this year’s presidential primary coincides with a contest that could tip the balance of power in the state Senate: the special election for former Majority Leader Dean Skelos’s 9th District seat, vacated when Skelos was convicted of felony corruption charges in December. 

Because voters will be offered two separate ballots, local party officials said that the presidential primary could potentially sway the outcome of the Senate race between Democratic Assemblyman Todd Kaminksy and Republican attorney Chris McGrath. Green Party candidate Laurence “Seth” Hirsh is also on the ballot.

“The challenge for [McGrath and Kaminsky] is getting their message out in a short period of time and at a time when there is a presidential campaign that is not only eating up all the oxygen, but turning off a lot of people with all the negativity,” said Jim Moriarty, chairman of the Long Beach Republican Committees. “And that certainly poses a challenge for both candidates.”

Some party leaders have said that voter turnout for the primary is expected to be strong as well, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont vying for the Democratic nomination in Clinton’s adopted state. Meanwhile, Republican Donald Trump is favored over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Trump’s home turf.