— First Time in a Generation —
—Local Victories Echo State, National Trends—
CORNWALL, NOVEMBER 5 — Democrats won a majority on the Cornwall Town Board in Tuesday’s election, as Virginia Scott and Josh Wojehowski won two of three Council seats, while Democratic Town Supervisor Richard Randazzo coasted to victory officially unopposed. Next January, Cornwall’s Town Board will have three Democrats and two Republicans seated.
Ms. Scott won a two-year term, filling a vacancy resulting from a resignation. Mr. Wojehowski captured one of two full four-year terms. Both will be first-time office-holders. Supervisor Randazzo will enter his 13th term in the office he first won in 1982.
Each of the Democrats also ran on the Protect Cornwall line. Turnout was higher than in previous years for elections focused primarily on Town offices.
“We had amazing support for our slate of candidates this year,” said Jon Chase, Democratic Committee Chair. “They all worked tirelessly to meet and engage our residents on Town issues, and there’s no doubt they will continue that hard work as they assume their duties on behalf of all of Cornwall’s residents.”
Historic Milestone
From a party perspective, Cornwall Democrats made history this year by fielding six candidates and winning three seats in a single election. The local victories come amid a surge in Democratic party enrollment and activism. In fact, as of October 2019, Democratic party enrollment in Cornwall surpassed Republican enrollment for the first time in history.
That shift echoes trends in suburbs and exurbs throughout the country, fueled in part by voters departing the national Republican Party as it increasingly aligns with a historically unpopular president and defies public sentiment on issues like women’s rights, gun control, climate change, LGBTQ rights, race and religious rights, and immigration. Democratic growth is also driven by young first-time registrants, who overwhelmingly identify with Democratic party priorities.
Locally, the Cornwall Democratic Committee has worked hard to capture that interest over the past two years, with community service, outreach, fundraising, and other activities that are new or reinvigorated. This year, candidates and volunteers knocked on thousands of doors and ran a robust campaign of advertising, phone banking, postcard nights, mailings, word of mouth, public events, and other activities.
At the same time, the Orange County Republican Committee may have hurt their local candidates’ chances with last-minute robocalls claiming Democrats were “pro-criminal” and casting baseless anti-Semitic accusations that “Kiryas Joel” was plotting to “steal the election” for Democrats.
The new Town Board will be seated in January, although the vacant seat won by Ms. Scott can be filled immediately by a vote of the current Town Board in its monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 12.