SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Tuesday's turnout was bad.

Greg Goldstein, chair of the Sullivan County Republican Committee, endorsed Camille O’Brien in the primary for the NYS 100th Assembly seat that she lost against Lou Ingrassia Jr. Primary turnouts are typically low, he told the River Reporter, but on Tuesday the turnout “very, very low." The Republican strongholds of Neversink, Fremont, and Rockland are not in the 100th Assembly District, which may have contributed to O’Brien’s loss, he said. 

The early voting option didn’t help in increasing turnout, Goldstein said. If there had been a Democratic primary, he said, turnout might have been higher.

Gary Maas, former chair of the Sullivan County Republican Committee and the Cochecton supervisor, had a different take. Both O’Brien and Ingrassia sent out enough flyers and “did what they could with what they had,” he said. But the town and county committees could have done more to juice turnout, which ended up being a meager 10 percent in each town. “I hope it doesn’t get lower than that,” Maas said.

“The voters always pick right,” he said. “There were two good candidates, and both counties supported their candidate.” 

Goldstein said the committee “tried everything. We put it on Facebook.” O’Brien knocked on around a thousand doors, he said.

But local Republicans are moving past the primary and keeping their eyes on the prize in November.

“With the primaries behind us now, the Republican parties of Sullivan and Orange are united behind Lou, which is necessary for a real shot at breaking the supermajority in Albany,” Goldstein said.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect the fact that the Republican stronghold towns are not in the 100th Assembly District.