NY-SD7 Post-Election Numbers With Maps

Here are maps of turnout percentage (pdf) and Craig Johnson's percentage of the vote (pdf) in the recent State Senate special election on Long Island.

Serious number junkies will want to look at the pdf versions, but the basic breakdown is blue means a high percentage on both maps, green is a medium percentage and yellow is a low percentage.

Turnout first:



And the percentage of the vote that Johnson won:



Here's the SD7 turnout percentage pdf and the SD7 Johnson percentage pdf.

I'm blown away by how many people voted in this race: 50% turnout anywhere in a special election is, frankly, amazing. When you throw in freezing temperatures, wow.

I also want to see the effect of canvassing on turnout and Johnson's vote, but that'll take longer to put together. Still, it looks like Port Washington really came out strong for Craig; our canvassing there got a great reception.

What stands out to you?

Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

WFP Gets Credit

In the post-election glow from Craig Johnson's, make that Senator Craig Johnson's, big win yesterday, the accolades are starting to come in. We went to the mat for Craig, canvassing for hours every day in freezing weather, pulling our organizing staff out of the rest of the state and putting them up in a Long Island hotel for 2 weeks to work on the race, and sending all our staff into the field for GOTV - which is why the Times -Union called us "one of Johnson's biggest supporters" - so the kind words are gratifying.

Here's what Newsday had to say the day after:

Winners:

DAN CANTOR (Working Families Party state chairman) The state party has made its mark as an influential political player, having given Johnson his spokesman in Alex Navarro, its ballot line and its support.

The Daily News's blog, 'Daily Politics,' agrees:

WINNERS

The Working Families Party made a clean break with Joe Bruno and the Senate Republicans after years of playing footsie in order to move specific legislative items forward (e.g. the minimum wage increase). As far as I can tell, the party more or less bailed out the Johnson operation, giving 75% of its staff over to the Johnson campaign for 3 weeks -- WFP supplied the campaign with 75 field canvassers, a hyperactive communications director, and support from party-linked unions, proving as always that there is no substitute for seasoned ground troops.

Aw, shucks. We were glad to do it!

Crains (no link) writes:

Winners

The Working Families Party, which broke with Senate Republicans, to endorse Johnson along with private-sector unions 32BJ, RWDSU, CWA and UFCW.

Over at Urban Elephants they're having a tough day, but they're facing facts:

Let me just say this. Check
Submitted by Scott Sala on Wed, 02/07/2007 - 10:07am.

Let me just say this. Check the WFP votes for Johnson. Their frontman ran Johnson's GOTV. I got no less than 10 emails from WFP. Yes, I subscribed long ago.

On the other end, I directly emailed O'Connell's campaign email address off an official email announcement to ask for anything UE could do to help - post GOTV times/dates, etc. I never got a response. I'm not a big street campaigner, but I know there are thousands of Republicans like me. We'll do it if - IF - persuaded. I wasn't in this race.

GOTV Makes and Breaks Campaigns
Submitted by Robert on Wed, 02/07/2007 - 10:45am.

Scott you make a great point. When it comes to get out the vote operations, dems leave no stone unturned, and especially neither does their radicalized alter-ego party the WFP. They will do whatever it takes to make sure their voters get to the polls. This is why they beat us almost every special election anywhere downstate.

Republicans, on the other hand, think it is enough to mail 20 pieces of mail and maybe send a few automated or live phone calls and that people will be motivated to vote. In zero degree weather, few people are naturally motivated to vote.

Heh

From Nassau GOP Watch:

Congrats to all the people on the ground that helped Criag win.

The Working Families Party really helped pull this off and the NYS blogs like the Albany Project lit a fire for this race.

And this from a diary at Daily Kos by Rusty5329:

Some may know that the Working Families Party (WFP) ran the vast majority of the field operations. WFP canvassers knocked on 45,000 doors over 28 days. The goal was to make sure that not a single voter in Nassau County would be able to forget about the election. Turnout, turnout, turnout. This whole race came down to turnout. Whoever could get the masses off their asses was going to win. So the Dem's called in the best canvassers in the state.

That's us.

The New York Times weighed in with an article over the weekend:

The Working Families Party, which helped run Mr. Johnson’s field operations, demonstrated skill and clout.

Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Craig Johnson Wins in SD7

Craig Johnson won the special election for an open New York State Senate seat in the Seventh Senate District. Here are the unofficial election night results:

CANDIDATE NAME	PARTY	RESULTS	CANDIDATE TOTAL
CRAIG M JOHNSON	D	24,814
CRAIG M JOHNSON	WFP	1,538	26,352
MAUREEN C O'CONNELL	R	18,967
MAUREEN C O'CONNELL	I	1,688
MAUREEN C O'CONNELL	C	2,256	22,911

This was a big win, and it took a lot of work from a lot of people. To many people to mention, but let me thank the volunteers from across the state who filled the phonebanks and knocked on doors, the 129 people who donated $6,056 online to win, The Albany Project, Daily Gotham, Nassau GOP Watch, Communications Workers of America, SEIU Local 32BJ, UFCW Local 1500, RWDSU, UAW, Long Island Progressive Coalition, the WFP Nassau Chapter and - most of all - the 100s of canvassers who went out day after day in the, literally, freezing cold to talk to voters and pull them out to vote. Those canvassers were the engine we rode to victory, and they deserve everyone's thanks.

We'll let Craig close this post off with the prepared text of his victory speech:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Today you made history.

• For more than 30 years, every Senate Seat on Long Island has been held by Republicans
• For 100 years, THIS seat has been held by Republicans
• Today we bid those years farewell and begin a new century.
  

***

As Democrats, we are on our way to a new majority in the State Senate - a cause that was advanced tonight but that continues starting now.

As Long Islanders, we are heading towards property tax reform - that will help our seniors and overburdened middle class.

And as New Yorkers, we will help Eliot Spitzer finish the job of changing state government so it works for all of us, not just the well-connected few.

[HOPES AND DREAMS]

I mention Eliot Spitzer - and in the campaign we spoke about Joe Bruno. But this campaign wasn’t about either of them. It wasn’t even really about Craig Johnson and Maureen O'Connell.

It was about the men and women, the children and the seniors, the working families of Roslyn, New Hyde Park, Great Neck, Port Washington and Elmont and all of the 33 villages of the 7th Senate District.

This election was about the hopes and dreams of the people I am now proud to call my constituents.

I asked you to vote our hopes - our hopes for a Nassau County that's more affordable for our seniors and working and middle-class

I asked you to vote our dreams - our dreams that our children will be able to find good jobs and homes they can afford here on Long Island.

You have my word that I will go to Albany to help all of us here on Long Island realize those hopes and those dreams.

[MAUREEN O'CONNELL]

I need to say a word about my opponent. As a nurse and as an elected official, Maureen O'Connell has dedicated her life to helping others.

This was a hard campaign, but there are no hard feelings. Maureen has had a noble career and I’m happy that she will continue as a colleague in government.

[THANK YOUs]

This is not my victory. This is your victory. More than 1,000 people gave up days, weeks of their lives to dedicate to this cause. I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you tonight. And I will try to do that over the next few days.

But please let me take the next few minutes to single out a few people who have been so important to this cause.

• My great friend and our great Governor, Eliot Steamr--- Spitzer
• My county chair – Jay Jacobs
• Our two great State Democratic Chairs – June O’Neill and Dave Pollak
• My new leader – soon to be the Majority Leader – Malcolm Smith and my Old Leader, Judy Jacobs
• Our two great U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton
• Nassau’s Three Members of Congress: Gary Ackerman, Carolyn McCarthy and Steve Israel
• Three of Nassau’s greatest elected officials – My County Executive Tom Suozzi, my Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli and my Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman
• So many other great elected officials, friends, supporters . . .
• Thank you to the unions that supported me –
  • the Nassau, Suffolk and New York City PBA
  • CWA
  • 32 BJ
  • the Painters
  • the Auto Workers
  • the Steamfitters
  • R.W.D.S.U.
  • and U.F.C.W. Local 1500
• and the Pride Agenda
• Thank you to my campaign staff – who worked so hard for so long especially Brian Stedge, Nathan Smith, Marc Lapidus, Doug Forand and Alex Navarro – and everyone else – I’m sorry I can’t mention everyone.
• and to Dan Cantor the young men and women from the Working Families Party who knocked on 45,000 doors for our cause
• Thank you to my fantastic support network – my father, my sister, my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law,
• And finally the two most important influences on my life
• My Mom, Barbara Johnson, and My Wife, Liz.
  

[CLOSING]

And let's remember what we fought for. We are Democrats, but we don't just fight to elect our own for our own sake.

We fight for:

• Taxes that are fair for our seniors and middle-class
• Housing we can afford
• Health care for every man, woman and child
• including the pursuit of tomorrow's cures today
• Schools that help every child reach their full potential
• Stewardship of the environment for our children and grandchildren
• The freedom to control our bodies
• Marriage equality,
• The right to organize
• And a government that works for every one of us, not just the well-connected few,
  

And we will keep on fighting until we have fully realized the hopes and dreams of every New Yorker.

Thank you very much. God bless you. And God bless America.

Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

It's Election Day in SD7

and it's going to be close!

If you live in the district, be sure to VOTE FOR CRAIG JOHNSON ON ROW E, the WFP ballot line

And tell your friends who live in the district or who have friends that live in the district to vote for Craig Johnson on Row E

You can still help us win. Head out to any of these staging areas in the district and we'll put you to work:

Mineola: Mineola LIRR station, take a campaign shuttle to the Portugese Heritage Society at 133 Willis Avenue.
Walking Directions: at the Mineola LIRR Station cross to the NY-bound side of the tracks. Walk on Station Plaza N (turns into 3rd Avenue as you pass the hospital) and turn right on 1st Street. Walk 2 blocks on 1st Street to Willis Avenue. Turn left on Willis Avenue and walk half a block to 133 Willis Avenue.

Great Neck: Great Neck LIRR station, take a campaign shuttle to 169 Middle Neck Road

Port Washington: Port Washington LIRR station, take a campaign shuttle to 691-3 Port Washington Boulevard

If you're not sure if you're in the district, it includes Albertson, Baxter Estates, Bellerose, Bellerose Terrace, Carle Place, East Hills, East Williston, Elmont, Floral Park, Flower Hill, Franklin Square, Garden City Park, Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Gardens, Great Neck Plaza, Greenvale, Harbor Hills, Herricks, Hicksville, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manhasset, Manhasset Hills, Manorhaven, Mineola, Munsey Park, New Cassel, New Hyde Park, North Hills, North New Hyde Park, Old Westbury, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Port Washington, Port Washington North, Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock, Saddle Rock Estates, Sands Point, Searingtown, South Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Strathmore, Thomaston, University Gardens, Westbury, and Williston Park.

Here's a map of the district as well:



Follow the election results at http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/BOE/results.html

And afterwards, come on down to Leonard's of Great Neck for the Craig Johnson Election Night Victory Party. Festivities start when the polls close at 9 pm. Leonard's of Great Neck is at 55 Northern Blvd. in, you guessed it, Great Neck.

This is it!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Republican Official Refuses to Comply with County Attorney Order

For the past few days, Republican State Chair Joe Mondello has been saying publicly that he plans to engage in a campaign of voter intimidation on election day with blanket requests for identification. On Saturday, the NY Times reported Mondello said, "Our poll watchers and election inspectors will challenge people to show some kind of identification as to who they are."

The County Attorney's office issued instructions to the Board of Elections that they reach out to poll workers, and make sure that they were informed of the law and the special circumstances under which poll workers were to request identification:

"I am requesting that you immediately notify all special election poll workers and inspectors that they must not request identification of any person seeking to vote, unless there is an "ID" notification next to the bar code for the voter name on the registration poll ledger prepared by the Nassau County Board of Elections."

The Republican response to these instructions was to was to disobey the county Attorney's directive.

Below are two letters, the Nassau County Attorney's letter



and the Republican response



Update: A Nassau County Supreme Court Judge is ordering Republicans to comply with election law and not intimidate voters in tomorrow's special election, and has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday at 9:30 am. The order was sought by Nassau County because the Republican commissioner of the County Board of Elections refused to comply with a County Attorney directive to follow election regulations and prohibit voter intimidation. The Nassau County police will deliver notice of the court order to every polling place in the Seventh State Senate district when the polls open at 6am on Tuesday.

Here are the three pages of the Judge's order







2nd Update: Follow this story at the newly launched Nassau Voter Protection blog.

Tomorrow is Election Day! Don't let the Republicans steal the vote!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

O'Connell MO: Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Flyers endorsing Maureen O'Connell continue to get her in trouble.

Here's the newest O'Connell flyer:



The most glaring error is the claim that O'Connell's a State Senator. She's not, no ifs, ands or buts. The rest of the flyer also gets things wrong.

Take, for example, the claim that O'Connell designed the nation's first at-home care program for cancer patients. The truth is, the Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx actually designed the nation's first at-home care program for cancer patients - 30 years before O'Connell's program.

O'Connell also talks up her performance as Nassau County Clerk, even as she refuses to release - or even respond to - an audit critical of her performance in office.

And let's not forget the O'Connell campaign's Osama-Balboni flyer. Over the weekend the Daily News took O'Connell to task in a scathing editorial well worth a read that asks, "How desperate is the GOP to hold onto the Nassau County Senate seat that's up for grabs Tuesday?"

But here's the key:

"In a photo, [O'Connell] stands next to ex-Nassau Sen. Michael Balboni, now Gov. Spitzer's top security adviser, beneath the official seal of the state Office of Homeland Security. A voter might assume she runs with their support. But Balboni has not endorsed anyone, and Spitzer is backing Democrat Craig Johnson. Also, Homeland Security strongly objects to this politicization of its logo, calling it 'completely inappropriate' and 'arguably illegal.'"

No wonder O'Connell is keeping her campaigning to friendly audiences.

Daily Gotham, Community Alliance and The Albany Project have more on O'Connell's ever-changing positions on the issues.

Tomorrow is Election Day!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Absentee Ballots Give Johnson an Edge

Absentee voting numbers from the Nassau County Board of Elections give Craig Johnson (D-WFP) the edge over his opponent Maureen O'Connell (R-I-C).

These numbers go through Saturday, and are broken down by party registration. Tomorrow is Election Day in the Seventh State Senate district special election on Long Island.

Democratic Party: 699
Republican Party: 646
"Blanks": 177
Independence Party: 18
Conservative Party: 15
Liberal Party: 3
Right to Life Party: 1

The word from the Johnson campaign is that they're "cautiously optimistic" but everyone needs to keep working hard.

This is a fraction of the people who will vote in the election, so even though it's encouraging, it also show how close the race will be. Your involvement will make a difference in who wins, so find a way to help!

Tomorrow is Election Day!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

NY-SD7: Eliot Spitzer on the campaign trail

Eliot Spitzer hit the campaign trail earlier today with Craig Johnson as part of the "Moving New York Forward – 33 Stops in 33 Hours" barnstorming tour of the Seventh Senate District. Craig is visiting each of the 33 villages in SD7 in the 33 hours leading up to the Feb 6 special election.

Here are some pictures from the campaign trail:





Tomorrow at 12:45 pm, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will join Craig Johnson for a Get Out The Vote rally at the American Legion Hall, 60 Hill Avenue, in Elmont. Monday is the last day of campaigning before the voting starts in the special election for an open New York State Senate seat.

Come out and meet Craig and help the campaign Get Out The Vote!

Can't make it out? Help with a donation.

Here's Craig's Monday schedule and the last 16 stops on the "Moving New York Forward" tour:

1. 6:10-8:25am - Train Station, Port Washington

2. 8:45am - Haven Diner, Port Washington

3. 9:05am - Starbucks, Port Washington

4. 9:25am - Baked to Perfection, Port Washington

5. 9:45am - Northwinds Coffee & Tea Co., Port Washington

*** 6. 12:45 pm - Get-Out-the-Vote Rally with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton - American Legion Hall, 60 Hill Avenue, Elmont, NY. ***

7. 2pm - Stop 20 Diner - Elmont, NY

8. 3:30pm - North Shore Farms, Port Washington, NY

9. 4:05pm - Park Delicatessen, Port Washington, NY

10. 4:45pm -- Door-Knocking, Roslyn, NY

11. 6:00pm - Train Station, Great Neck

12. 7:30 pm - Gino's Pizza, Great Neck, NY

13. 8:15 pm -- Seven Seas Diner, Great Neck, NY

14. 9pm - Starbucks, Manhasset, NY

15. 9:30pm - CVS drugstore, Roslyn Heights, NY

16. 10pm -- Sullivan's Quay, Port Washington, NY

2 days until Election Day!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Unions Go To Bat For Craig Johnson

Here's a copy of the mailer about Craig Johnson (D-WFP) and the Feb 6 special election for an open New York State Senate seat being sent to members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, United Auto Workers (UAW), United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 1500, and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).



It's just one of the ways these unions and the Working Families Party are campaigning to Get Out The Vote and elect Craig Johnson on February 6.

2 days until Election Day!

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Great Neck News Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate

The Great Neck News, a local weekly paper, has issued a powerful endorsement of Craig Johnson (D-WFP), calling him "Impressive - in his command of the facts, his stand on issues, and his character." The endorsement also sums up Maureen O'Connell's view of the public she is campaigning to represent, saying "she has barely set foot in Great Neck during the entire campaign."

Craig Johnson has now gotten nearly every editorial endorsement in the race, including Newsday, the Great Neck News (below), the Franklin Square-Elmont Herald, the New York Daily News and the New York Times.

Here's the full endorsement of Craig Johnson by the Great Neck News:

CRAIG JOHNSON FOR STATE SENATOR

Vote Feb. 6 in Special Election

Readers of this page are aware that we do not take kindly when candidates refuse to come before "the public" to answer questions at a debate. It is a great test of character, how the candidates do handling tough, even partisan questions.

Republican candidate Maureen O'Connell didn't just duck out of the debate, she dissed the Leagues of Women Voters (Great Neck, Manhasset and Port Washington), by suggesting that she better needed to spend her time meeting the "public" instead of participating in the debate.

That got in my craw because I am a huge fan of the League of Women Voters. What an incredible slap at the women and men who work so hard day in and day out to preserve active participation in voting, and who happen also to be scrupulous about being nonpartisan.

In fact, partisanship is a big issue in this campaign.

Republican Michael Balboni, who had so effectively served as State Senator, was famously bipartisan, working in close partnership with Democratic Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, to get things done for the community, and the community loved him for it. Senator Balboni spent a lot of time in Great Neck and working on behalf of Great Neck schools, parks, libraries, the Great Neck Art Center.

But if Maureen O'Connell was anointed by the Republicans to fill his shoes, she is no Balboni. Indeed, she has barely set foot in Great Neck during the entire campaign, with the exception of a brief stop at the Great Neck Senior Center at the Great Neck Arts Center, carefully avoiding any kind of interaction with the press (if you can believe that: a politician avoiding the press).

During her political career in the New York State Assembly and now, during this campaign, she has never deviated from the Republican line, and there is no reason to expect she will going forward.

What she told us when we finally caught up with her where she was clearly most comfortable, at the American Foreign Legion in East Williston, surrounded by about 100 men representing various police and fire unions provided curious insight into who she was. Each speaker seemed to make some connection between September 11, and how Ms. O'Connell would somehow protect their interests. When I asked her whether, in the interests of New York State's security, she would support a State Senate resolution to ask Governor Spitzer to keep our National Guard here in New York rather than in Iraq, she said, "I would ask [Balboni] for his recommendation."

In contrast, Democratic candidate Craig Johnson can claim to be independent, based on his record as Nassau County Legislator.

In numerous appearances in Great Neck, Mr. Johnson (who claims he is a "Great Necker by marriage" since his wife, Elizabeth Kase Johnson, was raised here) has stood unequivocally in support of funding stem cell research and development, women's reproductive rights, access to health care and protection of the environment.

He can also justifiably claim to being a "fiscal conservative," steadfastly standing behind the votes he made in the County Legislature to bring back Nassau County to fiscal health from near-junk rating. More impressive, he stops himself at each instance where he might be making fiscal promises that he is not sure he can keep, when it is so much easier for a candidate to promise the world.

Like Ms. O'Connell is doing, in pledging to bring back a few hundred dollars more in STAR rebates. What she doesn't mention is that for this to actually happen, she would have to get the rest of New York State outside of Long Island to go along with her idea of "redistribution" of state revenue. Fat chance.

Ms. O'Connell's disingenuousness is alarming, and not just her campaign's flat statement that they can't reveal where the candidate will be at any given time. Much has been made about an audit of her County Clerk's office by Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman that is being kept secret because it may be critical of her management abilities.

Ms. O'Connell has lashed back that Mr. Weitzman, a former mayor of Great Neck Estates, is being political. And yet, Mr. Weitzman, a Democrat who is in contention to become New York State Comptroller, has refused to comment on the report or release it.

When we asked her campaign why she does not simply release the report, we were told that the deputy clerk who Ms. O'Connell assigned to work with the Comptroller's office "is out on maternity leave. She is scheduled to be back on Feb. 5. At that time, Maureen and her will sit down and review the proposal and then request a meeting with Mr. Weitzman." That sounds like stone-walling, which I don't think is an admirable trait in an elected representative.

On the other hand, Craig Johnson has been impressive – in his command of the facts, his stand on issues, and his character. He is independent when he needs to be. He will be our champion, even if it means bucking up against Governor Spitzer and Democrats, should that be necessary. He has proven as much in the Nassau County Legislature. And he is clearly in tune and in step with the values that Great Neckers have demonstrated are important, time and again.

As a Nassau County legislator, moreover, he brings the experience and knowledge-base about our local problems that he could work to rectify at the state level. He understands the problems of cost-of-living, of school funding formulas, of transportation, of the impact of Medicaid, health care and prescription drug costs that we face.

We can look to him to be an advocate for government reform, hopefully breaking the Republican stranglehold that has prevented New York State from moving forward, to back development of alternative energy technology and biotech that will promote jobs and the state's economy; promote universal health care and reductions in prescription drug costs. He has clear proposals that could help alleviate some of the property tax burden on Nassau County, including working to get more state aid for school districts and attacking Medicaid fraud and waste.

O'Connell has tried to play catch up with some of these issues, but generally, her proposals are empty rhetoric, unsupported by her record in the State Assembly.

Mr. Johnson's platform is about moving forward, and positioning New York State to compete in the future in alternative energy, stem cell research, jobs and economic development. We like his proposals for biotech development, which could bring thousands of jobs to our area, for using the State's buying power to encourage manufacture of hybrid vehicles, as well as lower prescription drug costs.

At one rally he shouted out, "Do you want to move forward?" I don't know about you, but I like someone who is about moving forward, rather than stonewalling.

Craig Johnson has received endorsements from the New York Times, Newsday and now this newspaper. We see him as being in line with the values of Great Neck, and likely to be responsive to this community. Many other individuals and organizations we admire share this view.

But though Mr. Johnson's list of groups and supporters who back him may well outnumber his opponent's, and it may well be that a majority of voters in the district back his election, still, none of that will matter because it will all come down to who comes out to vote in the Special Election, on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

In this election, every vote does count. Will it be yours?

-- Karen Rubin, Editor

2 days until Election Day!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Moving New York Forward – 33 Stops in 33 Hours

Craig Johnson (D-WFP) is setting a blistering campaign pace leading up to Election Day on Feb 6 as he campaigns for an open State Senate seat in New York's Seventh District on Long Island.

Starting this morning, Craig launched the "Moving New York Forward – 33 Stops in 33 Hours" tour. He's campaigning in every one of the 33 villages in the Seventh District from this morning until the election starts, leaving no stone unturned to Get Out the Vote. The tour will take Craig to morning bagel stops, religious services, Super Bowl parties, and popular lunch hour spots.

Governor Eliot Spitzer and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer will campaign with Craig Johnson at different stops during the day.

Come out and meet Craig and help the campaign Get Out The Vote!

Can't make it out? Help with a donation.

Sunday Schedule:

1. 7am - Let There Be Bagels, Port Washington

2. 8:15am – Best Bagel, Great Neck

3. 9:30am – Constituent Meeting, Great Neck

4. 11am – First Baptist Church, Westbury

5. 12 noon – Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center – East Hills

6. 12:50pm - St. Brigids Church – Westbury

7. 1:45pm – Supermarket -- Manhasset

8. 2:30pm -- House Party – Great Neck

*** 9. 3:05pm - Waldbaum's – 40 Great Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (Campaigning with Sen. Charles E. Schumer) ***

10. 3:40pm – Cosi – Great Neck

11. 4:15pm – House Party – Great Neck, NY

12. 5:15pm – Super Bowl Party – Roslyn Estates, NY

13. 5:50pm – Super Bowl Party – Roslyn Estates, NY

14. 6:40pm Super Bowl Party – Sands Point, NY

*** 15. 7:30pm – Super Bowl Party – Great Neck, NY – with Gov. Eliot Spitzer ***

16. 8:30pm – Super Bowl Party – Kings Point, NY

17. 9:45 pm -- Finn McCool's bar/restaurant – Port Washington, NY

2 days until Election Day!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Republicans Threaten Dirty Tricks in SD7

Three days from election day, Maureen O'Connell's campaign is falling apart as Craig Johnson (D-WFP) racks up endorsements and public support in their Long Island race for an open New York State Senate seat.

The Republican response? Threaten dirty tricks. Joe Mondello, the Republican Party chairman for New York State and Nassau County, is already threatening to harass voters going to the polls, claiming that he's scared of "an onslaught of people from New York City being bused here and trying to vote."

Mondello knows that no one is being bused to Long Island to vote; he's looking for an excuse, however flimsy, to justify illegally harassing voters at the polls. Since O'Connell hasn't campaigned in many parts of the district, Republicans can safely assume that anyone turning out to vote in the parts of the district that they've abandoned is voting for Craig.

The Johnson campaign has a legal team in place to deal with Republican voter harassment and is requesting federal election monitors to prevent voter intimidation. But they can't be everywhere at once.

That's why we need you. The WFP canvass has grown to 100 people for the final weekend, and it'll grow again on election day. Supportive unions and local activists are getting involved. But the campaign needs literally 100s of people to turn out for it's Get Out The Vote plan.

There's still time for you to get involved. Sign up today!

You'll be glad you did, because you'll know that you helped win a key State Senate seat in the dead of winter (or what passes for winter these days).

3 days until Election Day!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

NYC Police Benevolent Association endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate

The NYC Police Benevolent Association joined their brothers and sisters in Nassau County and endorsed Craig Johnson for State Senate. Craig is running for an open New York State Senate seat in a Feb 6 special election.

The NYC PBA has more than 2,000 members living in the Seventh district.

In endorsing Craig, the NYC PBA cited his tough-on-crime record and his long-standing support of local law enforcement agencies. From PBA President Patrick Lynch:

"Craig Johnson has spent his entire public life making sure that our police departments have all the tools and support that they need to make sure that our streets are safe and that our families are protected . . . He is the best candidate to continue the work of Mike Balboni."

Craig had this to say:

"We need to support our men and women in blue as they fulfill their charge in making our communities and our streets safe places for our families . . . I am proud to accept the endorsement of the New York City PBA and, as your state senator, pledge to do everything in my power to make Nassau County a safer place for our families."

Here are some pictures from the event:





4 days until Election Day!

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Franklin Square-Elmont Herald, New York Daily News Endorse Craig Johnson

Craig Johnson has picked up two more endorsements in his State Senate campaign - one from the Franklin Square-Elmont Herald, which is the first local weekly paper to make an endorsement in the SD7 special election, and one from the New York Daily News.

The Daily News urged voters to "cast their ballots for Democrat Craig Johnson, who outshines his opponent on the issues and is committed to reforming Albany." In contrast, the Daily News says Craig's opponent Maureen O'Connell "refuses to release a draft audit that, one can only conclude, criticizes how she has run the clerk's office."

Read the whole Daily News endorsement online or read more about the O'Connell audit scandal here, here and here.

The Franklin Square-Elmont Herald editorial isn't online, but here's their endorsement:

Johnson for 7th Senate District

The special election for the 7th Senate District, which includes Franklin Square and Elmont, will determine whether the Republicans maintain their five-seat state Senate majority.

The implications of the race, however, extend beyond the state capitol. Democrats hold a 10-9 edge in the county Legislature. If the Democratic candidate for the Senate, Craig Johnson, wins on Tuesday, there will be a special election to fill his seat in the 11th Legislative District. Power in the county Legislature would hang in the balance.

Residents of Franklin Square and Elmont may not be well acquainted with Johnson, who has served in the county Legislature since 2000. The 11th District lies within the Town of North Hempstead, and prior to 2000, when Johnson won a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of his mother, Barbara, he had never run for office.

In seven years, Johnson's star has risen in the county Democratic Party. In fact, while he was one of five potential candidates screened by a Democratic committee, party sources say that Johnson was the primary choice from the moment the vacancy was created in late December, when then Gov.-Elect Eliot Spitzer named newly re-elected state Sen. Mike Balboni as his choice to be the state's deputy secretary for public safety and homeland security.

It's easy to see why. Johnson is an informed legislator who tackles every task laid before him with vigor, as evidenced by his tireless campaigning in the three weeks since he was designated to run. As a county legislator, he serves as vice chairman of the Legislative Budget Review Committee, and also sits on the Economic & Community Development and Labor; Public Safety; Government Services & Operations; and Towns, Villages, Cities committees. He became the youngest legislator ever named chairman of the county Finances Committee in 2004, overseeing Nassau County's $2.2 billion budget.

Johnson, who is in lockstep with Spitzer's reform agenda, which includes plans for a $6 billion property tax cut over three years, also supports federal and state legislation to reduce prescription drug prices by requiring the government to negotiate for lower prices for drugs for the Medicare program.

A self-described advocate of a woman's right to choose, Johnson was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood of Nassau County Action Fund, Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York and NARAL Pro-Choice New York, and has also garnered the support of the Empire State Pride Agenda, the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights advocacy group.

His opponent, Maureen O'Connell, refused to speak to the Herald regarding her stand on abortion, calling the election "not about social issues, but about property taxes and its crushing burden on Long Islanders." O'Connell, the county clerk and a former state assemblywoman, is an intelligent woman, a Registered Nurse with a law degree. She may think her social politics in this election are immaterial, but taking a stance on an issue is one measure of a candidate's character.

We respect O'Connell's view on abortion - whatever it is. And we take serious issue with Johnson's condescending campaign advertisements criticizing O’Connell’s moral positions, as if few share them. His ads report that she has the full support of pro-life organizations, as though that’s something to be ashamed of. Johnson needs to understand that a significant number of residents of the 7th S.D. hold right-to-life beliefs, and at the very least deserve a representative who respects his constituents and their beliefs.

That being said, Johnson has earned a reputation as someone who works well with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and he appears to be champing at the bit to get to Albany. The Herald enthusiastically endorses Johnson, and looks forward to a special election in the county Legislature to determine where the power, on a more local level, will lie.

4 days until Election Day!

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Republican Dirty Tricks

We're starting to get reports of Republican dirty tricks, so a legal team of volunteer lawyers is gearing up to defend the right to vote.

Here's a picture of the legal team being trained for election protection work in the SD7 special election. The man on the far right is uber-election lawyer Henry Berger.



As an added bonus, note the mechanical voting machine, making one of its last appearances in a New York election.

5 days until Election Day!

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45,339 Doors Knocked For Craig Johnson

The Working Families Party door-to-door operation has been on the doors every day for 3 weeks, working to elect Craig Johnson to the State Senate. As we shift into Get Out The Vote mode, the number of doors knocked stands at 45,339.

With just 5 days until Election Day it's your turn to join us out there.

The main focus of the Get Out the Vote plan is one-on-one voter contact - which is the single most effective way to get people out to vote. The work we do in the last 104 hours of the election - from Friday at 1pm to Tuesday at 9pm when the polls close - to talk to voters and make sure they vote will decide whether the ground operation can beat the Republican money machine.

That means going door-to-door and having conversations with every supportive voter to pull them out to vote on Election Day. We'll remind them about voting over the weekend. And we'll hold visibility events to distribute information to voters in train stops, supermarkets and busy intersections.

Now we need you. There are chances for you to get involved this Friday, over the weekend, Monday and all day Tuesday. Whatever your schedule, there's a way for you to get involved.

Sign up to help Get Out the Vote

Here are some pictures from earlier in the week of the canvassers heading to the field.









5 days until Election Day!

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FOIL Filed For O'Connell Audit

The Craig Johnson for State Senate campaign has submitted a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request for the audit of Maureen O'Connell's County Clerk office.

The Working Families Party has called on O'Connell to come clean on the audit of her office. O'Connell is refusing to respond to the audit and blocking its release, reportedly because it is highly critical of her performance.

O'Connell's refusal to respond or release the audit of her office shows there's no substance to her campaign promise to support openness and reform in Albany.

Brian Stedge-Stroud, Johnson campaign manager, had this to say:

"The public has a right to know what the audit says. Maureen O'Connell has a legal obligation under the Freedom of Information Law to provide it to the public. We have asked that she do so immediately. O'Connell's record may be indefensible, but it needn't be invisible."

Here's the FOIL request:

Public Information Officer
Nassau County Clerk's Office
240 Old Country Road
Mineola, NY 11501
(Via Facsimile 516 742 4099)
Re: Freedom of Information Law Request

Public Information Officer:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552.

I request that a copy of the following documents be provided to me: The audit report on the Nassau County Clerk's Office recently completed by the Nassau County Comptrollers office.

I am aware that I am entitled to make this request under the Freedom of Information Act, and if your agency response is not satisfactory, I am prepared to make an administrative appeal. Please indicate to me the name of the official to whom such an appeal should be addressed.

I am aware that if my request is denied I am entitled to know the grounds for this denial.

I am willing to pay applicable copying fees that are required for the documents.

Sincerely,

Brian Stedge-Stroud

Call Maureen O'Connell and ask her to come clean and release the audit to the public:

516-571-2664
516-741-7300

Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Pressure Mounts on O'Connell to Come Clean, Release Audit

Maureen O'Connell is continuing to stonewall an audit of her performance as Nassau County Clerk, even as she runs for an open State Senate seat on her record in office.

Yesterday, Craig Johnson, the D-WFP nominee for the open Senate Seat, called on O'Connell to come clean and release the audit:

"I think the public has a right to know. When there is an official government document out there with content that is material to Ms. O'Connell's management and leadership abilities that she is keeping secret, that strikes me as unfair to voters. That's why I'm asking her to release the audit on her own and clear the air."

Nassau County Legislator Diane Yatauro, Chair of the Government Services and Operations Committee, has also joined the call for O'Connell to release the audit:

"Newsday reported today that Nassau Comptroller Howard Weitzman has prepared an audit of the Nassau County Clerk's office. As chair of the County Legislature's Government Services and Operations committee, I call on Maureen O'Connell to release the audit and clear the air. There is no excuse for blocking the public's and the legislature's right to understand the depth of the charges of mismanagement of her office."

Coverage of the story is widening, with this broadcast on Channel 12 News putting more pressure on O'Connell to come clean and release the audit.

An article in today's Newsday shows O'Connell in full coverup mode. She even goes so far as to say that she has had "no chance to respond" to the audit.

The truth is, O'Connell admits that she's had the audit since January 12th - which means she's had enough time to respond. Instead, O'Connell insists she won't respond to the audit until her Deputy Clerk comes back from maternity leave.

There's a straightforward way for Maureen O'Connell to answer questions about her actions as Nassau County Clerk - release the audit.

Call Maureen O'Connell and ask her to come clean:

516-571-2664
516-741-7300

Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7

Craig Johnson for State Senate TV Ad #3

Here's the third Craig Johnson for State Senate TV commercial. Jimmy Siegel directed the ad; see his first two ads for the Johnson campaign here and here. In the ad, titled "How to Save," five accountants from the Seventh Senate District take O'Connell to task for her record of raising taxes.



Be sure to read about the O'Connell audit scandal and sign up to be part of the Johnson campaign GOTV push!

The ad features Certified Public Accountants Ellyn Sosin and Lenny Kreigel of New Hyde Park, Mitch Beckerman of Great Neck, Larry Greenstein of Port Washington and Accountant Stephen Goodman of Great Neck.

Here's the full script:

TITLE: "How to Save"

TEXT:
Here's what you need to know to save on taxes this year.

Maureen O'Connell voted to raise taxes and fees over 80 times--a product of the same Republican machine that almost brought Nassau County to its knees.

It might have happened, if Craig Johnson hadn't jumped in, working with Tom Suozzi to create a remarkable financial turnaround.

Bringing Nassau back to fiscal health.

So, on February 6, you can vote for someone who raises taxes--

Or, vote for someone who will lower them.

SUPER: Vote Craig Johnson for State Senate. Special Election, February 6th.

6 days until Election Day!

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Newsday Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate

Newsday, a leading Long Island paper, has delivered a major endorsement to Craig Johnson. Newsday boils it down to this: "Newsday endorses Johnson, who was willing to take a tough vote as a Nassau legislator and will do so again in Albany." Here's the full endorsement:

NEWSDAY ENDORSES: The choice in 7th SD

Johnson has shown that he is willing to take the tough votes

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has tried to transform the race to fill a vacancy in the 7th Senate District into a referendum on his reform agenda. He says that fellow Democrat Craig Johnson, a Nassau County legislator, will back his efforts to alter Albany's culture of dysfunction, and that Republican Maureen O'Connell, the county clerk, will not.

However earnest, Spitzer's assessment is a bit simplistic. It ignores the reality that a senator is likely to vote to protect his or her district, that both candidates back recent reform plans, and that the district's voters, who last year went heavily for Spitzer and for former GOP Sen. Michael Balboni, are independent minded.

In the end, the choice should go to the candidate not with the most powerful backers - including admirable ones like Spitzer - but the one with the best skills, experience and policies. That is Johnson.

A fiscal conservative but social liberal, Johnson has worked hard on local projects, but he also has a sensitive understanding of the needs of poor students in New York City and Long Island. He showed courage in backing a county property-tax hike several years ago, needed to undo the damage of GOP mismanagement. He also was a bulldog in forcing the Cradle of Aviation Museum to come up with a better business plan. We believe him when he says he generally will support fundamental reform in all areas of state government, including school aid and Medicaid, but that he won't be a "yes man" for Spitzer or other Democrats.

O'Connell has an appealing personal and political story, rising from nurse and village official to health-care lawyer and state assemblywoman. As clerk, an office she hasn't held long enough to judge her overall performance, she seems to have begun to reduce a chronic backlog in deed filings.

But for someone who has spent time in Albany and worked in health care, she is disappointingly unclear about recent key changes in Medicaid and other major issues. And in 2003, this page called one of her Assembly votes on the budget a profile in cowardice and cynicism. She tried to have her cake, by overturning a veto of school-aid cuts, and eat it too, by not being willing to pay for it with an income-tax surcharge.

Newsday endorses Johnson, who was willing to take a tough vote as a Nassau legislator and will do so again in Albany.

And here's the press release:

NEWSDAY ENDORSES CRAIG JOHNSON

Campaign Surging With Momentum

Leading Long Island Paper Says Democrat Has "Best Skills, Experience and Policies"

Democrat Craig Johnson snared yet another crucial endorsement as Newsday, Long Island's only daily newspaper, came out in support of his campaign today.

An editorial in today's paper says:

"In the end, the choice should go to the candidate not with the most powerful backers - including admirable ones like Spitzer - but the one with the best skills, experience and policies. That is Johnson."

The editorial also reminds voters of O'Connell's record of fiscal irresponsibility:

"[i]n 2003, this page called one of her Assembly votes on the budget a profile in cowardice and cynicism. She tried to have her cake, by overturning a veto of school-aid cuts, and eat it too, by not being willing to pay for it with an income-tax surcharge."

The full editorial is included at the end of this press release and online here: http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-avpend315073657jan31,0,5066926.story?coll=ny-editorials-headlines

Johnson has also been endorsed by Governor Eliot Spitzer, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Lt. Governor David A. Paterson, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, State Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, the Planned parenthood Action Fund of Nassau County, NARAL Pro-Choice New York, People for the American Way, the Empire State Pride Agenda, the Nassau County PBA, the New York Professional Nurses Union, SEIU Local 32BJ, Communications Workers of America District 1, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), United Auto Workers Region 9A, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 and The New York Times.

The 7th Senate District encompasses the entire town of North Hempstead. It also includes the communities of Elmont, Floral Park, South Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Bellerose, Franklin Square, and part of Hicksville. Craig Johnson, a member of the Nassau County Legislature, is running for the open Senate seat as the Democratic and Working Families Parties candidate.

As Johnson endorsements pile up, here's a roundup of endorsements the WFP Blog has covered:

• Nurses Union and 7 Other Unions Endorse Craig Johnson for State Senate
• Sierra Club Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• NYLCV Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• New York Times Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• NY Ed-PAC endorses Craig Johnson
• SEIU Local 32BJ Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• Nassau County Police Benevolent Association endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• Jimmy Dahroug endorses Craig Johnson
• Sen Schumer Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• Brian Keeler Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• Gov Spitzer Formally Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• Community Alliance Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
• Working Families Endorses Craig Johnson for State Senate
  

6 days until Election Day!

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Technorati tags: Working Families Party | NY-SD7