Republican presidential candidates won both counties from 1900 until 1988, with the exception of the 1912 victory of Woodrow Wilson and the Lyndon B. Johnson landslide of 1964.
In 1972, Richard Nixon won Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens, and came within 14,000 votes of winning heavily Democratic Brooklyn.
The close 2004 margins followed large victories for Al Gore in Nassau and Suffolk in 2000, and many observers think the 2004 results were more of a reflection of a 9/11 bump President George W. Bush received through portions of the New York City metro area (as his numbers jumped quite a bit from 2000 in Staten Island, Rockland County, and parts of North Jersey as well) rather than a reversal of the Democratic trend.
Democratic Comptroller Alan Hevesi, despite being scandal-ridden, won on Long Island, and Democrat Andrew Cuomo won all of the island's counties in the attorney general race, with Republican Jeanine Pirro narrowly losing in Suffolk.
Much of the traditional edge Republicans have had in the New York State Senate is due to dominating elections for these offices on Long Island, but the election of a Democrat to replace Michael Balboni in 2007 for the 7th district on Nassau County's North Shore demonstrated a recent weakness at that level of government as well.
However, Republicans came to hold all Senate and Assembly seats on Long Island after the 2022 elections, but Democrats retained their majorities in both chambers due to their overwhelming strength in certain Upstate counties and every New York City Borough except Staten Island.
Thomas Spota defeated three-time incumbent James M. Catterson Jr. to become Suffolk County District Attorney in 2001.
Denis Dillon, the Republican Party District Attorney of Nassau County for over thirty years, lost his re-election bid to the Democrat Kathleen Rice.
The Suffolk County sheriff's race also resulted in a Democratic win by cross-endorsement of a Conservative Party member.
After the 2009 elections, Democrats lost heavily in various communities including losing the Nassau County executive, numerous legislatures, and attorneys.
In 2009, Ed Mangano, a Republican, was elected in an upset victory over County Executive Tom Suozzi in Nassau.
In the 2021 elections, Suffolk County had a 'red wave', Republicans captured the DA and 12 of 18 legislative districts.
[6][7] The District Attorney, County Executive, Bruce Blakeman and Comptroller offices all went into GOP hands.