Nassau GOP Chairman Joe Cairo was elected as a national committeeman by the New York Republican State Committee June 6, the county GOP announced Friday.
Cairo, who has been chairman since 2018, is one of two committee people from the state alongside Jennifer Saul-Rich, who has been in her role since 2004.
Cairo will work alongside Saul-Rich and state Committee Chairman Ed Cox on electing Republican candidates at the state, local and federal levels.
“I want to thank New York Republican State Chairman Ed Cox, as well as all of the members of the state committee, for electing me to this position,” said Cairo. “I am eager to work with Chairman Cox and National Committeewoman Jennifer Saul-Rich to elect Republican candidates and advance the Republican agenda, which is being embraced by New Yorkers who want lower taxes, safe communities and the preservation of our suburbs.”
Cairo oversaw a red wave throughout Nassau County politics, which included flipping the North Hempstead supervisor and county executive seats from blue to red and winning the district attorney, county comptroller and county clerk slots in 2021.
In 2022, Nassau Republicans won four of five state Senate seats, flipping three of them from Democrats, and swept three Congressional seats.
“Nassau County Republican Chairman Joe Cairo will be a great national committeeman,” Cox said in a statement. “He has demonstrated that he can raise funds and mount winning campaigns. I am eager to continue working with him as he serves in his new capacity.”
Cairo nominated controversial U.S. Rep. George Santos twice in 2020 and 2022. The chairman, who previously called on Santos to resign, said he was misled about the fabrications of his resume alongside the constituents of the 3rd Congressional District.
“He’s disgraced the House of Representatives and we do not consider him one of our congresspeople,” Cairo said at a press conference earlier this year.
Santos pleaded not guilty last month to a 13-count federal indictment, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to Congress.
The 3rd District representative was arrested following the charges and released on a $500,000 bail bond that was co-signed by three individuals Santos claims are family members, according to the letter.
Cairo added he is looking forward to securing more Republican victories at every level.
“We stand for lower taxes and we support our police. What’s more, we reject the governor’s plan to dump high-rise apartment buildings in residential neighborhoods that are populated by single-family homes. Finally, we are offended by efforts by extreme Democrats who have taken control in Albany to wipe clean the criminal records of dangerous people,” Cairo said. “Neighbors stand with the Republican Party and our common-sense message of lower taxes and safer neighborhoods.”
