STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Staten Island Republican Party filed designating petitions with more than 9,000 signatures from registered Republicans on March 31, the largest petition effort on Staten Island in at least a decade, according to the GOP.
The party submitted the petitions to the New York City Board of Elections to secure ballot positions for Republican candidates in the November election. The signature-gathering operation involved 180 volunteers working across Staten Island.
“The Staten Island GOP is continuing to gain momentum on Staten Island while we fight against the socialist ideals being pushed on us by City Hall and Albany,” said Chairman and Assemblymember Michael Tannousis, a Republican who represents the East Shore and South Brooklyn. “As evidenced by our petition efforts, the enthusiasm for our candidates, including Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, is strong.”
Tannousis added that the party would “settle for nothing less than overwhelming victory” in November.
The signature requirements vary by office. State Assembly candidates need 500 signatures, while state Senate candidates require 1,000. Congressional candidates must gather 1,250 signatures, and Municipal Court candidates need 4,000.
The Richmond County Republican Committee endorsed eight candidates for the November ballot: Nicole Malliotakis for Congress in the 11th District; Ruslan Shamal and Andrew Lanza for state Senate in the 23rd and 24th districts; Casey O’Connor-Manasia, Michael Reilly, Sam Pirozzolo and Michael Tannousis for state Assembly in the 61st through 64th districts; and Glenn Yost for Civil Court.