The Republican party has maintained its dominance in Nassau County.
This election cycle saw the reelections of three Republican incumbents: County Executive Bruce Blakeman, District Attorney Anne Donnelly and Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti. The trio benefited from an early voter turnout that saw 5,000 more ballots cast for the Republicans than Democrats.
Nassau County Executive
Blakeman, 70, was endorsed by President Donald Trump on Monday, en route to beating out Democratic Legislator Seth Koslow to the County Executive seat.
His victory continues the monopoly Republican lawmakers have held over Long Island in recent years, which includes his counterpart in Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.
Blakeman initially won the position in 2021 by beating out incumbent Democrat Laura Curran by just a couple thousand votes.
His 2025 reelection campaign centered on lowering taxes and reducing crime rates. While the median effective property tax of the area has stayed at 2.1% during his tenure, that’s been due in part to his predecessor’s 2020 Taxpayer Protection Plan (TPP). However, the TPP expired this year.
In 2025, crime in Nassau County has dropped by double-digit percentages from the year before. Notably, the rate of major crime dropped 25% during the first few months of this year from the same time in 2024.
Nassau County District Attorney
The Republican incumbent is returning for her second term as Nassau County’s top prosecutor, after initially snagging the seat in 2021. Prior to her victory, she served in various roles in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, including Deputy Bureau Chief of the Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau and the Economic Crimes Bureau.
Donnelly beat her Democratic challenger — and her former employee — Nicole Aloise. While campaigning, Aloise said she quit her job at the DA’s office in 2023 because of Donnelly’s “dictator” leadership style, adding “Once Anne Donnelly took office — the job changed — it was no longer about justice, it was about her own agenda.”
Additionally, July saw another controversy emerge when Aloise claimed that Donnelly was not fully investigating Nassau University Medical Center CEO Meg Ryan for allegedly funneling $3.5 million in payouts to herself and 12 other employees. However, Donnelly claimed the investigation was still ongoing.
Hempstead Town Supervisor
Republican John Ferretti won his first election for Hempstead Town Supervisor, completing the trifecta of Republican incumbent races to watch in Nassau County on Tuesday night.
Ferretti was appointed as Interim Supervisor in August after former Supervisor Don Clavin abruptly resigned. The move prompted a lawsuit from Ferretti’s opponent, Democrat Joe Scianablo, who said the Republican dominated town council unfairly gave Ferretti the advantage by appointing him to the position.
Suffolk County races
Incumbent Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney is stepping into a second term. He ran unopposed.
Other winners included incumbent Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth (R ), incumbent Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer (D), and incumbent Smithtown Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R ).
In Riverhead, incumbent Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard (R ) is losing to Democratic challenger Jerome Halpin by less than 10 votes as of 11:30PM.
County Executive Ed Romaine, first elected in 2023, was not on the ballot this cycle as he’s currently serving a four-year term.
Suffolk County Ballot Proposition #2: doubling legislator term length
Voters approved a proposal to double the term of county legislators from two years to four.
County legislators unanimously voted to put the question on the ballot. The proposed change is in reaction to a controversial new state law that moves local elections from odd years to even years so they coincide with national elections. It does not affect the total limit of 12 years.
Supporters said the longer terms would make campaigns cheaper — for candidates and the county — since legislators were facing the prospect of running three elections over five years to comply with the state law.
But detractors said the language in the ballot proposition was too confusing and unclear for voters to make an informed decision. Plus, voters didn’t approve a similar proposal just five years ago.
