With all the attention to Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, an important test of the anti-Trump movement is going on here in Westchester County, NY, the northern suburbs of NYC.
Our county has about 1 million people, and Democrats considerably outnumber Republicans. In presidential years, we give landslides to the Democrats. Same in gubernatorial elections. However, in the off-years – like now – when the county executive post is up, Democrats stay home. As a consequence, the Republican, Rob Astorino, has won the last two elections for this top elected position. People here like to say: If Democrats vote, we win.
After Trump’s election, many Indivisible chapters sprung up here, including Indivisible Westchester. Many of these people were never active before in local politics, until Inauguration Day.
Now they are investing extraordinary individual and collective energy to elect a progressive Democrat, state Sen. George Latimer to replace Astorino. Astorino has palled around with Trump and supports his anti-choice, anti-immigrant, anti-climate change agenda and has Mercer money behind him. (Astorino is the person who ran against Gov. Cuomo three years ago, also with Mercer money help.)
Just last week, Politico ran the explosive story that as much as a $1 million in Mercer money has gone to a super PAC to support Astorino.
“A new independent expenditure committee has raised over $1 million in recent weeks in what appears to be an effort to help Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in his bid for a third term.
“ ‘Win for NY’ was registered with the state Board of Elections late last month… It reported receiving $50,000 from investor Thomas McInerney on Oct. 10 and $10,000 from the landlord-backed Rent Stabilization Association two days later. On Oct. 23, it received two donations of $500,000 apiece from Robert Mercer, the billionaire hedge funder who has backed Breitbart News and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.”
If you live in Westchester and are reading this, vote for George Latimer on Nov 7 — and volunteer to help get out the vote. If you don’t live in Westchester and would like to send a few dollars his way, however small, go to his website www.latimerforwestchester. He could use it. (Astorino has more than three times as much money on hand at the moment, not to mention the Mercer money.)
Sen. Schumer understands this and was part of a Latimer rally Sunday afternoon, telling the several hundred people present that they could help send a powerful message that the Trump agenda is not our agenda. Remember: George Latimer for Westchester County Executive.
Thanks.