Republicans in Nassau County suffered some of the party’s worst defeats in years on Election Day, but Nassau Republican Chairman Joe Mondello says that while party is somewhat fractured, it’s his job to put it back together again.

Mondello says he knew it would be a tough election year for his party.

There were the corruption arrests of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and former Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto. There was also public in-fighting on the Hempstead Town Board, between Supervisor Tony Santino and members of his own party, as well as a pair of ballot referendums with the capability of driving up voter turnout.

In the county executive race, former state Sen. Jack Martins was defeated by Democrat Laura Curran. In the Town of Hempstead, the party's political power base, Supervisor Tony Santino lost as well. It marked the first time in more than 100 years that a Democrat beat a Republican for the supervisor's seat in America's largest township.

"When things happen to either party, it affects the general public in their voting habits. That's exactly what happened this year to our detriment," he says.

Not all was lost for Mondello and the party. New Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joe Saladino won a resounding victory. His running mates in the town were victorious as well. And the GOP still controls the county Legislature. 

Mondello insists he has no plans to step down, even after 34 years on the job, and amid rumors of a possible ambassadorship in the Trump administration. 

Mondello was also quick to congratulate the Nassau Democrats, and their party chairman Jay Jacobs. He credited them for running a "superior campaign.”