In Suffolk, Schaffer keeps control of the county Democratic Party

After 12 rounds of voting over three-and-a-half hours, Suffolk County Democratic Party Chair Rich Schaffer emerged victorious in the battle for control of the party he has led for over a quarter century. He fended off Kathryn Casey Quigley, who gave him his first serious challenge ever, arguing Schaffer hasn’t done enough to help Democrats win elections on Long Island thanks to compromises with Republicans and perpetuating a harmful patronage system.

“I'm thanking (Casey Quigley) personally for making me a better person,” Schaffer told committee members following his victory, pledging to work with his challenger moving forward. “I'm 50 pounds lighter because of it, and that was because I can tell you that the energy that she has brought to this party is something that we need to bottle.”

In the end, Schaffer won 113,010 weighted votes, a comfortable margin of victory over Casey Quigley, a private school co-founder and Southold Town Democratic chair, who won 84,234 votes. The county committee is made up of hundreds of members, but an individual’s vote is based on the number of votes cast for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in their specific election district in the most recent statewide election – meaning areas with higher Democratic turnout have a greater weighted vote.

Schaffer maintained a lead throughout every round of voting at the county committee’s biannual organizational meeting Tuesday evening at the Huntington Hilton, winning the majority of the 12 rounds. State Sen. Monica Martinez was given the role of formally nominating Schaffer for reelection. 

With 57% of the weighted vote, Schaffer told City & State he actually performed slightly better than he was expecting. “I’m feeling relieved. … But I'm also feeling energized and hopeful for the future because we had 1,100 people here,” he said. “We've never had this kind of turnout ever, and I think that now it’s a matter of (Casey Quigley) and I coming together and making everybody move together to elect Democrats.”

In the lead up to the leadership fight, Casey Quigley helped to recruit hundreds of new committee members, some of whom had contested elections against candidates supported by Schaffer. Schaffer said he may still appoint some of her candidates who lost elections to the committee. “If people want to be involved, they need to get involved and be allowed to be involved,” he told City & State.

Despite her loss, Casey Quigley said she feels good about the fight she put up, and plans to run for the leadership position again in the future. “I’m so proud of what we did,” she told City & State. “I mean, a 10-month campaign versus a 26-year incumbent and a patronage system? That’s not an easy thing to break.”

Larry Levy, executive dean of the Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, said in a text message to City & State the results Tuesday night still showed that Schaffer has some work ahead of him to ensure a unified party moving forward. “Winning 57% of any vote is a pretty good night, but contested races for party leader are rare and it’s up to Schaffer to do something about the restiveness, particularly in a critical election year where the party can’t afford any sort of division,” Levy wrote. “What Schaffer needs to do is tap into his inner humility and reach out to his opponents rather than embark on a campaign of revenge and retribution.”

The vote overall was organized and, as the party’s secretary for the meeting Tom Garry promised, boring. But a tense moment came when a Casey Quigley supporter stood up to make a point of order to point out the portion of election law prohibiting vote buying. City & State reported Monday that Schaffer allegedly offered at least one county committee member money “to miss work” in order to vote for him. 

The room erupted in a mix of boos from Schaffer supporters, while some Casey Quigley supporters could be heard yelling “let her speak” as Garry attempted to cut her off. “You can take your remedy down to the courthouse and deal with it,” Garry said, as he assured that every committee member would have the ability to cast their vote according to the party’s bylaws.

Schaffer has led the Suffolk County Democratic Party since 2000, and was known for his prolific dealmaking and firm grasp on power, especially in his base of Babylon where he serves as town supervisor. Casey Quigley offered him his first serious leadership challenge, coming out of Southold, on the North Fork.She announced her campaign in December last year. 

The race quickly became contentious as Schaffer worked to keep his hold on the party as Casey Quigley criticized his closed-door dealmaking style of leadership. In addition to the allegation about the offer of money for a committee member to attend the vote, City & State also reported that the county Democratic election commissioner, a Schaffer ally, allegedly pressured county Board of Elections employees to vote for the incumbent to protect their jobs. 

Schaffer directly denied the allegations of using strongarm tactics when asked by City & State. “I can tell you that none of the allegations are true, and I'm happy to talk to those people now that the election is over,” he said. Schaffer added that he would not engage in any sort of retribution against those who made the allegations against him. “That wouldn't be legit, and it wouldn't be human,” he said of the idea of doling out punishment.

Casey Quigley and her supporters also criticized Schaffer for allegedly pressuring two countywide candidates to give up their place on the ballot, allowing the Republicans in the races to run unopposed. Jon Estreich, the Democratic candidate for county comptroller, stayed on the ballot. Anthony Portesy, previously the Democratic candidate for county clerk, vacated his ballot line. 

Portesy seconded Schaffer’s nomination at the county committee meeting Tuesday night, praising the incumbent chair. “Rich is the guy who answers my text at 4:30 in the morning,” he said. “That tells you everything about his dedication not just to the party, but to all of us.”