Election Day overview

Voting has already started across New York State for local, state, and federal races ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. For those who haven’t gone to the polls yet, here’s a final rundown of candidates on the ballot based on reporting from your hometown newspapers.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Kathy C. Hochul and Adrienne E Adams:  Democratic, Working Families

Incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul and Lt. Gov. candidate Adrienne Adams, former speaker of the NYC Council, said on their website they are running a campaign where they claim to have “taken decisive action to put money back in people’s pockets, lower costs, and invest in keeping New Yorkers safe.”

Bruce A. Blakeman and Todd Hood: Republican, Conservative, Vote Affordable

Nassau County Exec. Bruce Blakeman said on his website his campaign priorities are: “keeping communities safe, cutting taxes, and putting common sense first.” Blakeman claims he “fought sanctuary policies, rejected mask mandates, stopped boys from playing in girls sports, and made Nassau the safest county in America.”

Comptroller

Thomas P. DiNapoli: Democratic, Working Families

Incumbent comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says on his website he is “fighting back against extremists who want to roll back women’s rights, attack the foundations of our democracy and threaten New York’s fiscal health.”

Joseph Hernandez: Republican, Conservative

On his website, Joseph Hernandez says, if elected, he “will bring financial discipline, independent oversight, and an investor’s mindset to Albany,” with a mindset of stop “Albany’s tax-spend policies, fight fraud and abuse, and make responsible investments.”

Attorney General

Letitia A. James: Democratic, Working Families

Incumbent AG Letitia James says on her website that since 2019, she has “focused on lowering costs for working families, holding bad actors accountable, and protecting New Yorkers’ rights and safety,” and sued the Trump administration over 50 times “to protect” funding for healthcare, education, and jobs.

Saritha Komatireddy: Republican, Conservative

Prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy says on her website that if elected, she will “enforce the law by prosecuting crime, take the homeless and the sick off the street humanely, and eliminate corruption and fraud.”

U.S. Rep., 2nd Congressional District

Patrick Halpin: Democratic, Working Families

Former Suffolk County Exec. Pat Halpin said he’s running for office because “Congress is not doing its job” during the second Trump administration. If elected, Halpin said he would work to end the Iran War, oppose tax cuts for billionaires, and ensure funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Halpin also opposes recent ICE activity, and calls for better training, but not the agency’s abolishment.

Andrew R. Garbarino: Republican, Conservative

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino has pointed to his ability to work with bi-partisan coalitions for why voters should elect him for a fourth term. Garbarino told The Suffolk County News he helped deliver a raise in the SALT deduction and Pass-Through Entity Tax deduction that Long Islanders can use to lower taxes, secured funding for the WTC Health Program, and has responded to thousands of constituent inquiries. Garbarino said he supports Congressional oversight into, and training within, the Department of Homeland Security, whose committee he chairs in the house.

State Sen., 3rd District (Covers Blue Point through East Moriches)

Antonio Vargas: Ayala: Democratic

Democrat Antonio Vargas-Ayala is not actively campaigning

Dean Murray: Republican, Conservative

First elected in 2022, Dean Murray told The Long Island Advance he supports law enforcement and fights for crime victims and their loved ones while also believing in helping support local businesses, education, and the environment.

State Sen., 4th District (Includes parts of Islip and Bay Shore)

Monica R. Martinez: Democratic, Working Families

Incumbent State Sen. Monica Martinez says she “has built her career on delivering real results — making Long Island more affordable, fully funding our schools, strengthening public safety, and protecting our water and environment.”

Brianne R. Wakefield: Republican, Conservative

Brianne Wakefield describes herself as a “community advocate and faith leader” and said on her website she is focusing on “restoring strong values and common-sense leadership to Albany” by opposing recent bail and discovery reform, protecting parental rights for religious exemptions, caring for senior citizens, and combating human trafficking.

State Sen. 8th District
(Covers Great South Bay hamlets from Massapequa to Bayport)

Joshua James Taveras: Democratic

Josh Taveras told The Long Island Advance he is pursuing elected office after being the caretaker for his mother for nearly 20 years, seeing firsthand the challenges behind the healthcare system. Along with better healthcare access, Taveras supports more public education funding and the development of more affordable housing, including legalizing accessory dwelling units.

Jarett C. Gandolfo: Republican, Conservative

After serving in the state assembly for nearly six years, Jarett Gandolfo is seeking higher office so his work can have greater impacts for Long Islanders, he told The Long Island Advance. These include helping fund local parks and services, and environmental initiatives to protect drinking water and bays. If elected, Gandolfo said he wants to pursue income tax cuts and expand childcare credits to address affordability issues.

State Assembly 3rd District (Covers parts of Medford, East Patchogue, Bellport, Mastic, Shirley)

Josh Slaughter: Democratic, Working Families

Josh Slaughter, a labor leader and former chief of staff to Suffolk County Legis. Kate Browning, told The Long Island Advance he’s running to “put working-class families back at the center of politics” with priorities including addressing cost of living, investing in aging infrastructure, protecting the environment, and creating good-paying jobs for local workers.

Joseph P. DeStefano: Republican, Conservative

Elected in 2018, Joseph DeStefano said his priorities include making the community safer and more affordable, protecting water and other natural resources, and preserving the property tax cap while pursuing Albany to curb spending.

State Assembly 6th District (Includes North Bay Shore and Islip)

Philip R. Ramos: Democratic, Working Families

Dennis J. Barravecchio: Republican, Conservative

Dennis Barravecchio is not actively campaigning.

State Assembly 7th District (Covers Great South Bay hamlets from Bay Shore to Patchogue)

Trish Kopp: Democratic, Working Families

School teacher and union leader Trish Kopp told The Long Island Advance that she is running for state assembly to address affordability issues and supports incentives for young people to purchase starter homes and expanded pre-K. Kopp said all residents are “getting squeezed” out of their wallets and supports protecting the island’s drinking water and environment.

DawnMarie D. Kuhn: Republican, Conservative

Elected to the Town of Islip Council last year, DawnMarie Kuhn told The Long Island Advance she is running for higher office after encouragement from a Republican women’s group and seeing relatives move out-of-state due to rising costs. Kuhn’s priorities include addressing safety, by repealing sanctuary laws and bail reform, and protecting the environment and cutting government spending and unfunded mandates that she said drive up costs.

County Clerk

Vincent A. Puleo: Republican, Conservative

Incumbent county clerk Vincent Puleo says on his government website his office supports residents buying homes, filing liens and judgements, grieving taxes, and dealing with the justice system. Puleo is facing a write-in challenge from Abigail Field, who claims the Suffolk County Democratic Committee ran a deal to not officially oppose Puleo.

County Comptroller

Jon Estreich: Democratic

A Major in the U.S. Army Reserve and former Suffolk County prosecutor Jon Estreich says on his website his work with high government levels as a counsel to the governor, and attorney at Homeland Security support his mission to be an independent watchdog for Suffolk County residents.

Daniel Losquadro: Republican, Conservative

Former Suffolk County legis. and current Brookhaven Town superintendent of highways, Daniel Losquadro said he wants to increase audit staff for accountability into agencies and programs that receive county funds to root out fraud, focus on monitoring sub-recipients of federal funds, increase cybersecurity and transparency within the office.