32 Rockaway Republican Club Candidates Make the Ballot

Despite multiple challenges to their petitions, 32 candidates from the Rockaway Republican Club will be on the ballot this June, vying to represent Rockaway in the Queens County GOP. They will compete for the job in the June 24 primary.

“Even though our club leaders are new to the political games that are all too common in New York, they are not new to petitioning,” said former candidate for Congress Paul King. “I am not at all surprised that the vast majority of our candidates survived bureaucratic objections.”

RRC’s candidates will compete to represent almost every election district in Assembly District 23, from the tip of Breezy Point (ED 1) to Arverne-by-the-Sea (ED 18), plus one additional ED in Far Rockaway. RRC candidates Suzanne Blum and Jerry Steib were booted from the ballot in Belle Harbor. It was the only successful challenge to RRC’s candidates.

“It is a shame to lose two good people who contribute much to the club, to the party, and to Rockaway,” RRC President Mary Glynn said. “Even without the title, they will continue to be invaluable assets to the Republican Party.”

County committee members (also known as ED Leaders) can vote in the election for the Queens County GOP Chairman. More importantly, from the RRC’s perspective, they represent the grassroots of the party. ED Leaders are vital to growing the Republican base and making general elections competitive in New York City again. Candidates like Curtis Sliwa cannot win without this grassroots support.

This winter, Rockaway Republican Club leadership spent months recruiting and vetting more than 70 candidates. These included Republicans who are the most active RRC members, community leaders who will have the greatest grassroots impact, and members of the young Republican committee (the Sandy Elephants) who may be future leaders. RRC also created a job description that explains how the ED Leader role will bolster Republican efforts to improve quality of life in Rockaway and Broad Channel.

Since the majority of the election district leaders who currently represent Rockaway live in Howard Beach or Ozone Park, the RRC had hoped that County GOP leadership would endorse their vetted candidates from Rockaway in 2025. After an agreement could not be reached, the RRC decided to independently nominate 36 local candidates. In response, the County GOP quickly recruited new candidates from Rockaway to run against the RRC slate.

“I am thrilled,” King said. “Regardless of who wins each primary, Rockaway will be represented by people from Rockaway. Plus, everyone who the County just recruited is welcome to be an active member of the RRC. This shouldn’t be ‘us against them.’ We are all on the same side.”

The committee that evaluated RRC nominees included Club President Mary Glynn, last year’s three political candidates from Rockaway/Broad Channel, and RRC officers Cathy O’Connor, Margaret Powers, and Maureen Zembricki.