A Long Island Democrat running for district attorney against a GOP incumbent has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Nassau County Republican Committee for tying her to New York City‘s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani in an ad.
In the letter sent earlier this month, Democrat Nicole Aloise’s lawyer described the attack ads as “completely fabricated, false, and defamatory” and threatened to file a defamation lawsuit if the ads are republished.
One ad said, “Aloise stands with Mamdani.” Another referred to the pair as “political twins.”
The mail ads were made in support of Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican.
The lawyer who wrote the letter objected to the association between Aloise and Mamdani, saying the candidate does not share Mamdani’s defense of cashless bail nor does she back the self-described democratic socialist’s mayoral bid. The attorney, as reported by Long Island Life & Politics, noted Aloise’s positions are easily verified in the public record.
The Nassau County Republican Committee disputed the lawyer’s allegation that the GOP claims about Aloise’s record are not backed up by evidence.
“Nassau voters have a clear choice for District Attorney this year. Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly is a tough-on-crime prosecutor who has led the fight to repeal cashless bail, and Nassau County has been rated the safest community in the nation under Anne Donnelly’s watch,” the committee told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
“D.A. wannabe Nicole Aloise, on the other hand, is a product of her extreme NYC District Attorney’s Office that embraces cashless bail and gives criminals art classes instead of jail. Her out-of-touch agenda links her to other extremists like Zohran Mamdani and Kathy Hochul. Neighbors who want to keep the Mamdani/Hochul/Aloise extreme agenda out of Nassau will vote to re-elect Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly.”
Among the claims the committee provided is Aloise’s support for closing the state prison on Rikers Island, a position that Mamdani has also pushed during his campaign.
The Washington Examiner also contacted the lawyer’s office representing Aloise to request a copy of the full cease-and-desist letter and the respective candidates’ campaigns for comment.
Meanwhile, New York City voters are left to decide between Mamdani, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in next month’s mayoral election after Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race. The three remaining contenders will face off in the final mayoral debate on Wednesday night.
Mamdani is backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and other New York Democrats. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) have been noticeably hesitant about backing the progressive candidate.
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While it remains unclear whether Schumer will endorse Mamdani, Jeffries teased that he will make a decision on the matter before early voting begins on Saturday.
“As I’ve indicated, I expect to have a conversation with him at some point this week in advance of early voting, which begins next weekend in New York City,” Jeffries told ABC News. “And we’ll certainly have more to say about the mayor’s race and about our Democratic nominee prior to early voting beginning.”
