Today, the New York State Young Republicans (NYSYR) reflected on the recent election cycle and the impact that their efforts had in securing Republican victories in some of the state’s most high-profile races. Those efforts included five NYSYR-led deployments that made tens of thousands of voter contacts in the final weeks leading up to the election, over $1,500 in contributions to candidates and an aggressive social media campaign that sought to raise awareness of the several dozen Young Republicans who ran for office in the 2021 cycle.
In the 30 days leading up to Election Day, the NYSYR launched five deployments in conjunction with the New York Federation of College Republicans (NYFCR) to assist Young Republicans running for office in the “battleground” counties of Westchester, Albany, Suffolk, Richmond, and Broome. Those candidates were: James Nolan for Westchester County Legislator (District 15) and Anthony Giacobbe for Westchester County Legislator (District 10), Alexandra Velella for Colonie Town Board (At-large), Suffolk County Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (District 8), David Michael Carr for New York City Council (District 50), and Jared Kraham for Binghamton Mayor. In addition to those candidates, our deployments also assisted other Republican candidates on the ballot, including Eastchester Town Supervisor Anthony Colovita, candidate for Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey, candidate for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, candidate for Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, and candidate for Broome County Family Court Judge Veronica Gorman. Nolan (D+1), Velella (D+3), and Kraham (D+17) were victorious in their respective races despite Democrats heavily outnumbering Republicans in enrollment. Piccirillo (R+9) and Carr (R+11) were both victorious as well despite well-funded and labor-backed Democrat opponents. Giacobbe (D+6) remains too close to call as of the time of this release. NYSYR and NYFCR efforts contributed to a sweep of decisive Republican victories that flipped the town government of Colonie (Albany) and strengthened Republican holdings in Eastchester (Westchester). These efforts also helped elect Young Republican Brendan Lantry, whose election as New York City Civil Court Judge in Richmond County makes him the youngest elected judge in modern New York City history, and Young Republican Emily Costanza, whose election as Mount Pleasant Town Clerk makes her the youngest clerk in Westchester history. None of this, however, includes individual the efforts taken by chartered county chapters of the NYSYR — such as in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Kings, Orange, Dutchess, Onondaga, and Monroe counties — where Republicans fared well, which would only widen the impact of the NYSYR’s efforts.
“Our deployments were so impactful that Democrats attempted to counter each of them by mobilizing their youth volunteers, and some even called in Kathy Hochul as a campaign surrogate,” said Peter Giunta, Chairman of the New York State Young Republicans. “But the election results show that their attempt to muster a response was all for nothing — Democrats were trounced or came close to it even in places where they felt secure. Through our renewed partnership with the College Republicans, we were able to play a crucial role in this fight to save our state with the election of these common-sense, pro-law and order candidates.”
Additionally, the NYSYR held its third annual Moneybomb Program, which aims to provide financial support to Young Republicans running for office throughout the state. This year, the program provided more than $1,500 in contributions to 10 candidates who were seeking office at the county or town level. Of the ten Young Republicans supported by the NYSYR Moneybomb, nine were victorious in their respective races, including Brendan Sweeney, whose election to the Suffolk County Legislature and subsequent defeat of five-term Democrat incumbent Sarah Anker helped give Republicans a majority in the 18-member body.
“We were thrilled to bring back our Moneybomb Program this year, which undoubtedly helped strengthen our Young Republicans who ran for office,” said Giunta. “Local races like the ones we supported this cycle rely heavily on grassroots support, so, understandably, even just $100 can have a huge impact on a candidate’s ability to get their message out or connect with voters.”
Further, the NYSYR undertook an aggressive social media campaign across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, that not only helped amplify the New York Republican State Committee’s message to voters but also showcased the several dozen Young Republicans that sought office this cycle. It is part of a wider effort taken by NYSYR Chairman Peter Giunta and his leadership team to revitalize the 89-year old association.
“I am incredibly proud of how hard our team has worked to pump life back into this historic institution,” said Giunta. “Since taking office in August, my administration has rebranded the NYSYR with a modern logo, begun a complete revamp of our website so that it may serve as a resource for Young Republican voters and candidates, and undertaken an intense effort to connect with Young Republican elected officials throughout the state to strengthen our coalition.”
He continued: “Young Republicans are not the future leaders of the Republican Party — we are the Republican Party, and we play an incredibly crucial role in determining the success of this party. Our efforts this cycle prove that Young Republicans and Republicans in New York are a force to be reckoned with. 2022 is right around the corner and we are ready to win this fight.”