Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) hosted what appeared to be a wildly successful fundraiser at The Irish Times Pub. While he is the descendant of old colonial English stock, the incumbent takes great pride in his Irish half.
The event was attended by Republican elected officials and donors from within and around Smith’s district, demonstrating widespread support for the candidate. “I’m so happy to see so many new and familiar faces alike,” said Smith. “This sends a powerful message to Albany of our District’s values.”
Various representatives and some legislative hopefuls, such as Kevin Surdi and Wendy Rodriguez came to shore up support for their candidacies.
While Smith enjoys a reliably safe district, this was not always the case. The Fifth Assembly District, Smith’s District, was once held by a former Suffolk County Executive and Democrat, Steve Levy. Levy, a fiscally conservative Democrat, was elected to the district in 2000. Then, in 2002, he was reelected with 68.96% of the vote running on the Democratic, Independence, Green and Working Families Parties’ lines.
Democrats retained the seat in a special election on March 9, 2004, with candidate Ginny Fields, who took 57.29% of the vote. In that year’s general election, Fields won 56.55% of the vote. Fields won again in 2006 with 60.88% of the vote, and again in 2008 with 63.53%.
But then, in 2010, something happened that changed the composition of power in the district forever. The constellation of parties that once supported Fields fractured. Unable to retain the support of her own party in a primary waged by Kenneth Mangan, Fields only had the Independence and Working Families ballot lines.
The result was a victory for Alfred C. Graf on the Republican and Conservative lines with 49.50% of the vote – a historic victory for the old bastion of Democratic Party power. Graf repeated his victories until his resignation to run for a judicial office in 2018, running with the support of the Independence Party, Conservative Party and at times the Reform Party along with some other fleeting ballot lines.
The results proved the power of incumbency and how pride and prejudice can cost a district for a party that once held it safely. This Republican success story planted the seed that would lead to Smith’s eventual run for office after serving as Graf’s chief of staff.
Now, Smith’s district is reliably Republican, and Smith’s most recent election saw him win 61.28% of the vote.
