Randy Altschuler, the conservative Republican candidate for Congress (NY-1) and the Suffolk County Conservative Party won a major victory Friday as the State Supreme Court, Suffolk County, released three decisions this afternoon denying Christopher N. Cox his attempt to seek an Opportunity to Ballot on the Conservative Party line. The decisions, handed down by Justice Thomas F. Whelan, block Cox from attempting to challenge, through a write-in procedure, the nomination of St. James businessman, Randy Altschuler as the Conservative Party candidate in the hotly contested battle for the 1st Congressional seat.
The first decision denied Cox the recusal motion, the second decision removes Cox from the ballot and the third denies his petition to validate the Opportunity to Ballot.
Randy Altschuler said, “This is a major victory for the voters of Suffolk County and a major defeat for the candidacy of Christopher Cox. In May, the Executive Committee of the Suffolk County Conservative Party voted 81-2 to deny Chris Cox their party’s nomination. Today, the Supreme Court denied Chris Cox’s cynical and un-democratic attempt to do an end run around the Executive Committee and ultimately the will of rank and file members of the Conservative Party throughout the 1st Congressional District.
“The victory we achieved today brings us a step closer to winning the GOP Primary and uniting the Republican and Conservative Parties so we can defeat Tim Bishop in November.”
Attorney Vincent J. Messina, Jr., who represented the Conservative Party in the case said, “We are thankful that the Court protected the voting public from the ‘statutory irregularities involved in the signature gathering process’ that occurred in this case. We believe that such actions should never be perpetrated upon the voters of Suffolk County, nor bear the imprimatur of any court.”