GOP fights campaign pushing Republicans to vote Democrat


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GOP leaders are pushing back against a campaign urging Republicans to switch their party registration to Democrat for the upcoming New York City mayoral primary on June 24.

The initiative, spearheaded by Be Counted NYC under Lisa Blau’s leadership, has sent letters to Republican and independent voters highlighting a February 14 deadline for party affiliation changes.

“This year, NYC will hold a critical election to decide who will lead our city forward, but many New Yorkers do not realize that the election that is almost certain to choose the next mayor is not the general election but the Democratic primary on June 24, 2025,” the organization’s letter states.

State Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, who chairs the Staten Island Republican Party, strongly opposes the campaign to deceive New Yorkers into switching their party registration. “Democratic leaders in New York City are resorting to sleight-of-hand tricks to deceive New Yorkers into switching their party registration back to the Democratic Party,” Tannousis told The Post. “But the truth is clear: lifelong Democrats are fleeing because the party no longer stands for public safety, economic prosperity, and the hardworking people of this city.”

The Republican party’s influence has grown recently, despite being outnumbered in registration. This includes significant gains in suburban areas and parts of the city, with Republicans now controlling the House of Representatives and Trump’s previous White House victory.

Some point to historical precedent, noting the successive Republican mayoral terms of Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg from 1994 to 2013.

Council Republican Minority Leader David Carr stressed the importance of maintaining party loyalty. He referenced the recent surge in Republican votes as evidence of the party’s growing strength in New York City.

Financial records show that Blau, whose husband is Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau, has invested over $573,000 in the campaign to encourage party switching. This marks Be Counted’s second such initiative, following a similar effort during the 2020 mayoral campaign.

Another organization, the Jewish Voters Action Network, is conducting a parallel campaign targeting Jewish voters and others to register as Democrats before the June municipal primary elections. The group aims to counter politicians perceived as inadequately addressing antisemitism or aligning with the Democratic Socialists of America, which organized an anti-Israel rally following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The mayoral race includes DSA member Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani of Queens, who has received the organization’s endorsement.