First Congressional District
In the three-way race for the Republican line in the First Congressional District, The Messenger proudly endorses Nick LaLota for his breadth of experience and longstanding dedication to public service. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the hard-fought campaign of Anthony Figliola, who campaigned with valor attending debates alongside his competitor, LaLota.
And we would be doing a disservice if we did not mention Michelle Bond, a late entrance to the race that entirely changed the dynamics. Her campaign from the beginning has shifted the fulcrum of financing from local political organizations, and individuals to out-of-state donors.
These out-of-state donors, the same donors that seemingly fund powerful Democratic politicians across the country, undoubtedly see Bond as a vehicle to advance their financial interests. Bond, a self-professed cryptocurrency lobbyist, will use her experience with the SEC to promote her singularly focused interest.
Now, Bond parades the endorsement of Senator Ted Cruz in a thinly veiled quid pro quo to shore up support in exchange for almost certain donations to Ted Cruz or political committees supporting him. Cruz, who most will remember as trying to sabotageTrump at the 2016 GOP convention, like Bond, will learn that Long Islanders will not be bought so easily, and those Long Islanders for sale will not prove as effective or as convincing as those who volunteer their time.
LaLota boasts an impressive resume and familiarity with Long Island’s needs that his opponents cannot match in this race. And, without a LaLota victory, the race will likely be decided in favor of the Democrat, Bridget Fleming. Fleming, who boasts a formidable capacity to fundraise and a host of organic local connections, would make quick work of a candidate whose supporters derive their convictions from paychecks.
So, for registered Republicans in the First Congressional District, the choice is clear: Be duped by a deep-pocketed carpetbagger that parades a Texan who probably couldn’t pronounce the name of Patchogue or Nissequogue if his life depended on it, or vote for a real local with real experience.
LaLota is also trusted and endorsed by: Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Babylon), Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Brookhaven), Supervisor Scott Russell, Supervisor Yvette Aguiar (R-Riverhead), Bo Dietl, Hon. Ryan Zinke, Seal PAC, Ranger PAC, and Disabled Veterans PAC.
Second Congressional District
The choice for the Second Congressional District is likewise as clear as the First. In the race between Incumbent Andrew Garbarino, Mike Rakebrandt, and political pariah Robert Cornicelli, The Messenger proudly endorses Andrew Garbarino.
We would like to mention the hard-fought campaign of Rakebrandt who we would like to see on
future ballots, but this race comes down to Garbarino versus Cornicelli. Rakebrandt has only raised $7,000 thus far and is not expected to be a factor in this race.
The incumbent congressman has been able to do good in his district, being extremely popular amongst the business community he supports so tenaciously.
The misgivings about the incumbent circulated by disgruntled outsiders are the work of a political hack who lacks the relevant experience to represent the constituents of the south shore.
Well documented in this paper are the political exploits of Cornicelli, often deceit-filled and always ending in failure. So documented, in fact, that it would be ghoulish overkill to engage in another retelling.
Moreover, this is not an endorsement of the lesser of two evils but an endorsement of a clearly preferable candidate. Garbarino voted against Biden’s Build Back Better scheme and against Pelosi’s January 6th committee, contrary to lies in circulation about the candidate through a dark money ‘Super PAC.’
Garbarino supports small businesses and the regional economy with his vote in congress,
fighting against fis-cally irresponsible plans. He fights for accountability and transparency in government programs to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in such programs.
He proudly supports our veterans, members of law enforcement, and our border patrol agents. Possibly most importantly, in today’s era of high inflation, he is an energy pragmatist. He supports an all-of-the-above strategy, one advocated for by this publication.
Reducing the price of energy is paramount given the high inflation we currently face, and his support for this shows that he is both in touch with his constituents and aware of relevant and achievable solutions.
In both these races, there’s clearly a bottle of snake oil on the ballot – don’t be fooled.
That is the message. This is The Messenger.
