Island Vote: ‘Blue wave’ could change direction of Long Island

<p>Democrats are hoping a lot of their party members, unhappy with President Donald Trump's two years in office, will show up to vote next Tuesday.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 30, 2018, 9:41 PM

Updated 2,170 days ago

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Democrats are hoping a lot of their party members, unhappy with President Donald Trump's two years in office, will show up to vote next Tuesday.
Many believe the unrest could affect races on Long Island, including the Democrats’ effort to take over the majority in the state Senate.
“There is a lot of unhappiness in the country, which I think clearly helps the Democrats, especially on Long Island,” says political analyst Jerry Kremer. “I think there's going to be a lot of people coming out who are going to change the direction of Long Island.”
Nationally, the odds are that Republicans will lose seats in Congress. Only two times since the 1930s, when Franklin Roosevelt was in the White House, has the president's party gained seats in the House and Senate in a midterm election. On average, the party that controls the White House loses 34 seats in Congress in a midterm election.
Hofstra University political science professor Richard Himelfarb says this election will be a “blue wave with a red undertow.”
“I think the Kavanaugh affair brought the president's supporters back to life,” says Himelfarb, over the harsh battle over the Supreme Court seat. “Republicans who had been previously unenthusiastic all of a sudden were ignited and are now ‘in’ even more than they were a month ago.”
Marguerite Lane, of Levittown, says she’s “disgusted” by the current political climate, and might not participate on Election Day.
“I just feel like it doesn't matter what we say or do anymore,” says Lane.