Suffolk County Democrats are locked in a bitter Civil War as insiders try to boot the party boss over claims he’s made backroom non-aggression deals with the GOP.
Party members claim Rich Schaffer, the incumbent party chairman for the Suffolk Dems, secretly sabotaged their candidates to protect Republicans.
Southold Democratic chair Kathryn Casey Quigley is now challenging Schaffer for his seat, with a vote by committee members set for September.
“People accuse me of working to divide the party — but Schaffer is working directly with Republicans and actively against his own party,” Quigley told The Post.
Democrat Jonathan Estreich told Newsday that Schaffer talked him into dropping his run for state Senate to instead try for Suffolk County comptroller — then later pushed him to withdraw.
The Dem leader apparently said the candidate should accept a Conservative Party candidacy for judge that would’ve removed him from the ballot in the comptroller race.
Anthony Portesy, another Democrat who was initially running for Suffolk County Clerk and was originally endorsed by Schaffer, recently abandoned his campaign after facing similar pressure from the chairman, insiders claimed — calling the move a “betrayal.”
Schaffer’s critics have also pointed to a cross-endorsement deal last year in which the party declined to field any opponents against District Attorney Ray Tierney and Sheriff Errol Toulon, allowing both to successfully reelection unopposed.
Toulon also appeared on the Democratic line.
But the alleged backroom deals date back even further, with party members pointing out that in 2018, Schaffer pushed a 20-year-old college student to run against incumbent Republican state Sen. Phil Boyle, which they believe was part of a deal to intentionally tank the Dem Party ticket.
The infighting comes as the “establishment” Suffolk Democrats brace for more potential challenges from the left.
The Democratic Socialists of America didn’t run a single candidate in Long Island’s elections this cycle, but political analyst John Tomlin said that was a calculated decision to protect the party’s momentum after DSA-backed candidates beat multiple moderate Democratic incumbents in New York City primaries and other races around the country this summer.
Tomlin said the group is now starting to organize on Long Island and expects DSA candidates to target local town, village and county legislature races over the next two years as it builds toward 2028.
Jon Schneider, a spokesperson for the Suffolk Democratic Committee, downplayed the infighting and said the party’s focus is on November’s statewide and congressional races rather than local intraparty disputes, and pushed back on the idea that the party is cozying up to Republicans and Conservatives.
“[We are] focusing our efforts on ousting MAGA Republicans who are in lockstep with President Trump,” Schneider said.
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