Ed Romaine’s victory, locking up LI for the GOP, shows why NY Dems plan to illegally gerrymander for ’24

Ed Romaine’s landslide 57%-43% victory Tuesday over Democrat David Calone for Suffolk county executive confirms Long Island’s return to its historical political norm: The GOP now holds all the countywide seats in both Suffolk and Nassau, plus all four House seats.

That spells big trouble for New York Democrats hoping to recapture House seats next year, after losing them in 2022 and so giving the GOP a (narrow) majority.

Which also explains why Dems have been desperately moving to gerrymander New York’s voting maps — violating the state Constitution and snubbing voters in the process.

Republicans dominated on Long Island for years, but lost their grip starting in the ’90s after several corruption scandals (and general misgovernment) soured voters.

Yet they now seem to have moved beyond that: Suffolk’s Lee Zeldin nearly won the governorship last year, coming closer than any Republican in decades.

The GOP also picked up two LI congressional seats that night, and won races for Nassau county exec and district attorney in both counties the year before.

“Long Island for now is defiantly returning to its red roots,” observes Hofstra University’s dean of National Center for Suburban Studies Lawrence Levy.

The political climate has also pushed LI voters rightward: Unlike in other states, abortion rights aren’t at risk in New York, but crime, the migrant crisis and inflation have folks here furious.

Long Island’s large Jewish population may now also be wary of Democrats, who’ve split on Israel and antisemitism at a time when Jews and Israel face their worst crisis in decades.

Dems will face yet more voter heat, especially outside Manhattan, with congestion-pricing fees looming for motorists who enter the borough’s commercial district.

Alas, rather than bow to voters’ concerns, Dems have resorted to political trickery: They packed the state’s top court with sympathetic judges who they hope will give them another shot at gerrymandering.

Despite clear constitutional language forbidding it — and voters’ overwhelming opposition to it.

Last year the Court of Appeals (whose members were all picked by Democratic governors!) struck down Dem gerrymandering; an independent expert then drew fair maps that led to GOPers flipping four House seats.

Democrats think they’ll get away with the scheme this time and retake seats next year.

Only time will tell if voters’ rightward shift — in Long Island and statewide — overwhelms the trickery.