Now that the two political parties have named their presidential candidates, I hear frequent questions about whether they will be a factor in races for Congress and the state legislature. Having successfully run for office 12 times, I have long since learned that there is not always a connection between the top of the ticket and the rest of the ballot.
Some local voters will go into the booth and vote straight down the line for all candidates. That’s what my parents used to do along with many other older voters. But more and more voters have been deciding how to vote based on how they view the incumbents and their challengers. That means that no incumbent is safe unless they have a convincing story to tell and have the money to get their message out.
Over the past few months, I have been told that certain candidates have a “lock” on their races and can’t be beaten. I tell them that no incumbent is safe until they count the votes on Election Day. A good example of how quirky the voters are is the 1st Congressional District in Suffolk County. Over the years, the district has had three Democrats and three Republicans representing them in Congress.
Another factor in this year’s elections are such hot-button issues as reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, crime, health care, Social Security, and climate change. No candidate for federal or state office will be able to avoid questions on these issues. In some cases, incumbents will have cast votes on these issues and they will be forced to defend their positions.
While many of the candidates will not be linked to the top of the ticket and will be judged on their own positions, there is no way to avoid some last-minute headache that the presidential candidate creates. This promises to be a very bitter and hard-fought national contest, and anything can happen in the closing days of the election that affects everyone from the top to the bottom of the ballot.
I have witnessed many elections, going as far back as the Kennedy-Nixon contest. But I believe that no election over all of those years will be as consequential as this one. Above all, pick your candidates after careful consideration and don’t fail to vote on November 5th. That’s what makes America great.