For Nassau GOP, crunch time is munch time

Daily Point

As Election Day nears, Nassau GOP plans virtual bagel breakfast, Dems knock on doors

In the final push toward Election Day, the Nassau GOP is providing donors with a bagel breakfast Sunday, where attendees can munch and hear from chairman Joseph Cairo and local candidates.

And you can stay in your pajamas.

The flyer advertising "Breakfast with the Chairman" notes the gathering is ... virtual.

For $100, supporters who live in Nassau County will receive a bagel box, delivered to their homes, along with a Zoom link to be able to hear from Cairo and those looking for their votes.

It might seem like an odd idea in 2025. But the event began during the pandemic, Cairo told The Point — and was successful. That success led the Republicans to replicate the event post-pandemic, and they've done it several times since.

"It's an opportunity and it touches a lot of bases," Cairo said. "It's becoming a tradition ... Rather than having it someplace where people have to get up and go, this is a lot more fun."

Volunteers from the county GOP committee will deliver a box of goodies early Sunday morning, Cairo said. Participants receive a half-dozen assorted bagels from A&S Bagels in Franklin Square, along with cream cheese, butter, orange juice and coffee pods — plus a Nassau GOP coffee mug. Since it's so close to Halloween, the box even includes some candy as an extra treat. Residents outside Nassau will receive a gift card instead.

Then, around 11 a.m., donors will join the Zoom event. Cairo, along with County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman and the other countywide and town supervisor candidates, will gather in person and share breakfast — and an update on the campaigns — on camera.

Cairo's bagel choice? Either an everything or sesame bagel with scallion cream cheese — and, Cairo said, he likes his bagel hot, but not toasted.

The breakfast, Cairo noted, will precede other campaign efforts and gatherings throughout the day.

Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs, meanwhile, told The Point that the Dems aren't offering bagels Sunday morning — just a more traditional get-out-the-vote effort focused on door knocking and phone calls.

But the GOP's bagel gathering could raise some serious dough. In the past, the event has brought in about $150,000, Cairo said. Beyond the $100 event fee, supporters can become a breakfast sponsor for $1,500, a bagel sponsor for $1,000, or a coffee sponsor for $500.

Even at those prices, you'll have to bring your own lox. 

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

A scream

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Final Point

Bagels for GOP donors in Suffolk, too

In Suffolk, the GOP breakfast club is personal.

Members of Suffolk GOP's Patriot Club annually are invited to a breakfast billed as "An Exclusive Gathering of Like-Minded Individuals." This year it's at the Stonebridge County Club in Smithtown in late November. "It's a full hot breakfast. Buffet. Multiple stations," said party chair Jesse Garcia. And yes, there will be bagels.

According to the invitation, membership in this club starts at $500 while it costs $1,000 to be a "Flag-Waiver" (presumably your badge will have the correct spelling) and for those wanting to be extra loyal, you will need to drop $10,000 for a "Super Patriot" designation.

Those cutting checks for the networking event will have their names in a commemorative journal along with the "numerous businesses and professionals who, like yourself, believe in the ideals of the Suffolk County Republican Party and have lent their generous support to the Republicans from Montauk to Melville," the invitation says.

Past gifts included phone chargers, Yeti coffee mugs, red throw blankets and a wine/charcuterie swivel board. Garcia declined to reveal this year's gift. "Honestly, we keep it as a surprise until the breakfast," he said. 

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciollii@newsday.com

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