Key New York Democrats, longtime supporters of Hillary Clinton, have begun rooting for both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in the upcoming New York primaries — in hopes that the national races will help them take control of the state Senate.
That strange, and temporary, support of Sanders and Trump results from Gov. Cuomo’s decision Saturday to call a special election on April 19 — presidential primary day in the state — for the Nassau County state Senate seat left open by the corruption conviction in December of former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.
Democrats, now only one vote shy of a majority in the Senate, say a still-hotly-contested battle between Clinton and Sanders in the spring would produce a huge primary turnout, bringing more voters to the polls for Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, their candidate for state Senate.
And, they say, if Trump has locked up the Republican nomination by the time of the New York primary, the GOP turnout will be a lot lower than they now expect.
“If Bernie is giving Hillary a run for her money at the time of our primary and Trump nails it early, we will win the Senate seat walking away,’’ a prominent Nassau County Democrat predicted to The Post.
A second Democratic activist forecast “a massive turnout for Hillary in Nassau County if she’s still fighting Sanders, and that would be nothing but great news for Todd.’’
The Democrats agreed they could be the victims of an alternative scenario with Clinton locking up the nomination by the time of the New York primary and Republicans still battling in a contest sure to draw large numbers of GOP voters.
However, the GOP’s newly selected candidate for the Skelos seat, little-known trial lawyer Christopher McGrath, was being widely described by Democrats and Republicans alike as signaling a lack of seriousness about winning the race.
“McGrath is a sacrificial lamb. They couldn’t get anyone else to run,’’ declared one of Nassau County’s best-known political activists.
Republican Assemblyman Bill Nojay (R-Rochester) said, “McGrath’s primary qualification seems to be that no one knows enough about him to oppose him.’’
By contrast, Kaminsky is a proven vote-getter and former federal prosecutor credited with winning the conviction of notoriously corrupt former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr., now in federal prison.
And he’ll be running at a time when the Skelos conviction, and ongoing federal and local probes of Nassau County officials, have made public corruption a leading issue in the Senate district.
“It’s going to be ‘the ambulance chaser’ vs. the former US attorney,’’ scoffed a disgusted Republican strategist.
Some Republicans are upset that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is unwilling to commit any funds to defeating US Sen. Charles Schumer, giving Schumer a free ride that will allow him to use his huge campaign war chest to help Democratic Senate candidates across the country — and perhaps get himself chosen as Senate Democratic leader in the next session.
“The Senate’s [GOP] campaign committee is hurting Republicans across the country by giving Schumer a pass,’’ said a prominent Republican activist.
Their still unofficial favorite to challenge Schumer is little-known conservative lawyer Wendy Long, who was crushed by a record 46 percentage points in 2012 when she was the GOP candidate against US Sen Kirsten Gillibrand.