Long Island Wire; Levy Assured Reelection

Suffolk County Republicans are endorsing incumbent Democrat Steve Levy for reelection, failing to get their own candidate. It's the first major party cross-endorsement in a county executive race in Long Island history.

Republicans admitted the reason for the cross-endorsement was due to the overwhelming popularity of Steve Levy and the slim chances Republicans have of even making it a race. In order to avoid a Levy Democratic landslide countywide, the GOP endorsed him, therefore allowing straight-ticket voters to vote for Levy and other Republicans without switching columns on election day.

Still, Democrats are excited about the fact they will continue to hold both county executive seats for another two years at least, when Nassau County votes. Also, the cross-endorsements shows the sad state of the once-dominat GOP on Long Island.

Says Town Supervisor Philip Nolan (D-Islip);

"I'm just amazed, This is not the same Republican county where I was
raised."

Long Island Wire; Steve Levy Gets GOP Support

Democratic Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy will be officially endorsed today by Patrick Vecchio, the dean of the county's town supervisors. Vecchio, the Republican supervisor of Smithtown since 1978 has never endorsed a county executive candidate, and ran a short-lived GOP primary race to run against Democrat Robert Gaffney in 1991.

It's the not the first time Vecchio, the leader of the island's major Republican stronghold, has endorsed a Democrat in Suffolk County. Last year he endorsed Congressman Tim Bishop, who represents the First District of New York, which stretches from Smithtown to Montauk, for reelection. Bishop won in a landslide.

Levy is expected to do the same.