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LONG BEACH, N.Y. (AP) \u2014 A political candidate in the New York City suburbs went for a night swim in the Atlantic Ocean this past spring and never returned.<\/p>\n
Petros Krommidas\u2019 phone, keys and clothes were found on the sands at Long Beach on Long Island. The 29-year-old former Ivy League rower, who was training for a triathlon, had parked his car just off the picturesque wooden boardwalk.<\/p>\n
As the months passed, local Democrats attempted to field a replacement to run for the seat in the Nassau County Legislature.<\/p>\n
But two Republican voters took them to court and won: a state judge recently ordered Krommidas\u2019 name to remain on the November ballot, ruling that he\u2019s still considered missing and not officially deceased.<\/p>\n
Now, as Election Day approaches, voters in Long Beach and other South Shore communities have a curious choice: reelect the Republican incumbent or the Democrat who seemingly vanished at sea.<\/p>\n
James Hodge is among those calling on residents to cast their ballots for Krommidas regardless \u2014 hoping to trigger a special election in which Democrats can put forward another candidate to run against County Legislator Patrick Mullaney.<\/p>\n
The Long Beach resident worked with Krommidas at the Nassau County Board of Elections and had been tapped by Democrats to run in his place.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to stand by and honor his name and memory,\u201d Hodge told The Associated Press. \u201cLet\u2019s give him that victory. It\u2019s the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Republican voters argued in their lawsuit that Democrats couldn\u2019t claim Krommidas was dead because authorities still considered him a missing person. Under law, someone needs to be missing for at least three years to be legally declared dead, they argued.<\/p>\n
Judge Gary Knobel agreed, writing in his Sept. 29 ruling that \u201c\u2018missing person\u2019 status does not qualify as a vacancy that can be filled.\u201d<\/p>\n
The justice, in his ruling, noted a similar situation decades earlier in Alaska.<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Nicholas Begich Sr. disappeared in a plane crash weeks before the 1972 vote but still won reelection. The Alaska Democrat was eventually declared dead, and his Republican opponent claimed the seat in a special election.<\/p>\n
More recently, Dennis Hof, owner of the Nevada brothel featured on HBO\u2019s \u201cCathouse\u201d documentary series, died weeks before the 2018 election but still captured a seat in the state Legislature.<\/p>\n
In 2020, North Dakota legislative candidate David Andahl died from COVID-19 the month before the election and still won. And in 2022, Pennsylvania state Rep. Anthony DeLuca won reelection after dying from lymphoma the month prior.<\/p>\n
Hodge and other Democrats argue that Republicans only sued to assure themselves victory as they seek to bolster their majority in the county legislature. They say the lawsuit has only prolonged the anguish for Krommidas\u2019 family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand politics, but there\u2019s a time to stop and be a human being,\u201d said Ellen Lederer-DeFrancesco, who met Krommidas through the local Democratic Party. \u201cPetros is someone\u2019s son, brother, friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo Jr., in a statement, vowed the party and its candidates will \u201cshow the highest level of sensitivity during these challenging times for the Krommidas family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Krommidas\u2019 family declined to comment when reached by phone, but his mother and sister each took to Facebook recently to share a post calling for residents to \u201chonor and vote\u201d for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Peter cared deeply about people and his community and continues to inspire kindness and unity in our community,\u201d his mother, Maria, wrote in her post.<\/p>\n
Eleni-Lemonia Krommidas, his sister, described him in her own post as a first-generation American who loved his country and \u201cbelieved in equality, education, and the power of unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the days after his disappearance, family and friends joined first responders in scouring Long Beach\u2019s broad, more than 3-mile-long (4.8-kilometer-long) swath of sand, which is located just east of the New York City borough of Queens.<\/p>\n
Some of the missing persons fliers they put up with images of Krommidas\u2019 youthful, smiling face are tattered and faded but still visible on telephone poles around Long Beach.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile campaign signs for Mullaney, his opponent, are prominently displayed on fences along the main thoroughfares and on tidy residential lawns. The Republican didn\u2019t respond to emails seeking comment.<\/p>\n
Along the Long Beach boardwalk last week, longtime resident Maude Carione was dumbstruck at the choice facing voters in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s insane to leave his name on the ballot. You\u2019ll confuse people,\u201d said the 72-year-old, who supports Republican President Donald Trump but didn\u2019t have plans to vote in the upcoming election, which features mostly local races. \u201cIn fairness, you have to give another candidate a chance for the Democrats. You have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
For resident Regina Pecorella, the decision, while grim, was clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s between those two, I\u2019m voting for the person that\u2019s alive,\u201d said the 54-year old independent, who voted for a straight Republican ticket in the previous election. \u201cI don\u2019t know how else to answer that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Highway 99 Disaster Claims Lives as Search Ends for Missing Victim…See more A candidate disappeared months ago after an ocean swim. Can he still win? LONG BEACH, N.Y. (AP) \u2014 … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n