House Speaker Mike Johnson headlines Shirley rally in bid to boost GOP's hopes on Long Island, statewide

With a week to go before the November election, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson rallied Tuesday night in Shirley with the GOP's statewide and Suffolk County ticket, arguing Democrats, who control the levers of power across most of New York, had made the region less safe and more expensive.

The Suffolk County GOP’s annual Get Out the Vote Hangar Rally at Brookhaven Calabro Airport attracted an estimated 400 supporters — from children adorned in suits to men in red, white and blue regalia — and brought together the entire Republican slate of candidates, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

In addition, Saritha Komatireddy and Joseph Hernandez, the GOP candidates for attorney general and state comptroller, were joined by Suffolk's two Republican incumbent House members, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), along with other candidates for the House, State Senate and Assembly and for local races from across the region.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and the third-highest-ranking elected official in the country, said the road to the GOP maintaining a majority in the House of Representatives runs through New York, and particularly on Long Island.

"We're going to save the greatest nation in the history of the world. We have an extraordinary record to run on," Johnson said to raucous applause, citing job growth and tax cuts since President Donald Trump's reelection in 2024.

For nearly an hour in a chilly airport hangar, one by one GOP candidates and incumbents criticized Democrats, directing their anger primarily at Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist. Trump's name was invoked only by Johnson, a close GOP ally.

"We have socialists. We have communists. That's the Democratic Party," said Suffolk County Republican chairman Jesse Garcia, who urged Republicans to participate more in early voting.

Other candidates and elected GOP officials focused their comments on high property taxes and utility bills, the state's population decline, cashless bail, transgender participation in female sports and concerns about crime committed by immigrants who lack legal status.

Blakeman, a two-term Nassau county executive, described the gubernatorial race as a "battle for the heart and soul of our country. We're talking about people who are running for office that don't share our values."

A Quinnipiac University poll earlier this month found Hochul leading Blakeman by 14 percentage points. Blakeman on Tuesday called the polls "phony" and said the results would "surprise the left wing media."

In a statement, Suffolk Democratic chairman Rich Schaffer said Johnson's appearance would motivate supporters to turn out for Democrats Christopher Gallant and Patrick Halpin, who are challenging LaLota and Garbarino.

"Thank you Suffolk Republicans for featuring Speaker Mike Johnson and his record of enabling President Trump as gas prices top $4 a gallon, tariffs drive up the cost of groceries and everyday essentials, and questions mount over lucrative deals benefiting Trump's family and political allies," Schaffer said in a statement. 

State and Nassau Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs added the rally was a "timely reminder to voters that New York Republicans and Mike Johnson are jacking up their costs, ripping away their healthcare, and putting loyalty to Donald Trump ahead of working families."

Leaders of both parties are traveling around the country in the final stretch before the midterm elections, playing offense in some areas and defense in others, with Long Island emerging as a frequent stop.

Johnson has already paid multiple visits to Long Island this cycle, including a stop in August at a Bethpage diner.

House Democrats, led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) — who was stumping in Nassau on Saturday — need a net gain of three seats to flip the GOP’s narrow control of the 435-seat chamber.

On Tuesday, Jeffries responded to the GOP rally on X, calling Blakeman a "Trump puppet" and arguing "Johnson and House Republicans think the affordability crisis is a hoax."

Hochul, meanwhile, held a campaign rally Tuesday with Hotel and Gaming Trades Council members in Manhattan, where she cited a 90% increase in turnout during the first three days of early voting.

Newsday's Billy House and Yancey Roy contributed to this story.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.