Looking Back and Forward by Richard Rossi
Thank you to the citizens that went to the polls and voted. I hope everyone did their civic duty as well as their due diligence and voted for the candidate who respects our Rights and Freedoms as American Law-abiding citizens. We had much more on the line than just our Second Amendment Rights!
Unfortunately, there is little time to relax, regardless if your candidate lost or won. Election season is over for 2025 and 2026 will soon be upon us. Take a break and, come January 2nd, it will be time to go into election mode - the Midterms are just around the corner.
The 2026 Mid-term elections are going to be crucial in New York State. Our Governor, Attorney General, ALL seats in Albany (both Assembly and State Senate), and ALL the seats in the U.S. House of Representative will be on the line.
As you all know, Zohra Mamdani was elected New York City’s mayor. Yes, we have a socialist / communist Mayor elected in NYC and also one who has endorsed numerous gun control schemes. This will hit home to upstate residents since NYC is the economic hub of New York State and controls Albany politics. Don't be fooled for one second, Mamdani’s election will greatly impact upstate New York. Mamdani’s previous statements indicate that he is a threat, not only to the 2nd Amendment but to the very foundations of American prosperity. His actions and the responses in Albany could have significant impact on the elections.
As we look ahead to the midterm elections in 2026, Governor Hochul is running for re-election. The state of New York is in the balance. This is a 'do or die' scenario for our upstate community. The elections could start to turn around NY State, depending on whom we elect in 2026.
Elise Stefanik recently announced her run for governor in New York against Hochul. She has, at this crucial time, a chance to dethrone the Democrats from another term as governor. Stefanik is a strong defender of 2A and Hochul is definitely not. (There is more about these two in the upcoming Firing Lines.)
This will not be the only challenge for New Yorkers. State Attorney General Letitia James has also been an enemy of 2A. Michael Henry has established 2A credentials and has often spoken at SCOPE events, such as the recent annual banquet.
Stefanik and James are the early leading candidates but there may be more.
The Dem's currently have all the power in Albany; a governor and a super majority in the Albany legislature. All this can change in 2026, if we organize and unite! But we can’t depend on others to do it for us. Allow me to give you examples from the recent Delaware County elections of issues that commonly occur beyond just Delaware County.
Every political commentator says that a “Get out the Vote” effort is one of the keys to winning. The intense 'Get out the Vote" effort for our candidates did not materialize.
“Letters to the Editors” of newspapers are still valuable but less impactful as newspapers are being replaced by other media. An effort to reach potential voters via our local newspapers' "Letters to the Editor" was almost non-existent.
Comments on social media are now as important as “Letters to the Editor” and I know of little or no effort in this area. (Note: SCOPE is developing a social media presence to be used in the upcoming election.)
With the lack of “Letters” and “Comments”, we missed an opportunity for citizens to voice their support or concerns and, most importantly, an opportunity to voice the facts and cut through all the political campaign rhetoric; especially the many falsehoods about our 2nd Amendment protected rights.
The Delaware County Republican Committees did run ads in our local papers for our candidates but their impact was limited, as they were not run early enough to coincide with the Absentee Ballot time-frame. In addition, I believe there was no similar effort on social media. A critical opportunity to reach voters cannot be overlooked in the future.
One of my personal “pet peeves” is when political parties endorse candidates before the voters speak in primaries. Our local Representatives in Albany endorsed the eventual loser in the primary - before the primary - and they were then slow in endorsing the primary winner. This contributed to a Republican candidate versus Republican candidate in the general election. So much for unity in maintaining our Rights & Freedoms.
New York State's survival is on the line in 2026. It is going to take dedication, organization, unity, timeliness and effort to overcome the radical, liberal, democratic, socialist wave that is upon us. This will not be easy but we have no choice! Sitting back and saying we can't win is not an option.
