KEY

D: Democrat, R: Republican, G: Green, L: Libertarian, S: Sapian, WF: Working Families, WE: Womens Equality Party, I: Independent, C: Conservative, UCP: United Communities Party

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

(D, WF, WE, I) | governor.ny.gov

The 56-year-old Mount Kisco resident, who is running for his second term, has drawn support across party lines, as shown by Republican Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano’s recent endorsement. He previously served as New York Attorney General and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. As governor, he passed same sex marriage; the SAFE Act, new gun-control measures in wake of Newtown, Conn., massacre; and legalized medical marijuana. His handling of the Sandy response mostly won him praise, but he’s been criticized for terminating his Moreland Commission on public corruption before its investigation was complete.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Rob Astorino

(R, C, SCC) | robastorino.com

Astorino, 47, has been the Westchester County executive since 2003. He is running on a platform of cutting taxes, reducing state spending, reducing public debit and stopping unfunded mandates from the state Legislature that drive up property taxes. He opposes the governor’s new gun control law, known as the SAFE Act, because Astorino said that it restricts the rights of gun owners. He also opposes the new Common Core corriculim and was first elected to public office at age 21 as a member of the Mount Pleasant Board of Education.[/one_half_last]

Howie Hawkins

(G) | howiehawkins.org

Hawkins, 61, of Syracuse, is making his second bid for governor after a prior run for U.S. Senate from New York in 2006. A Syracuse resident, he’s a Teamster freight handler for the United Parcel Service, who’s been endorsed by New York Badass Teacher’s Association, Ralph Nader and the New Progressive Alliance. He supports raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, instituting free tuition at CUNY and SUNY colleges and proposes funding that through a more progressive state income tax system.[/one_third][one_third]

Michael McDermott

(L) | votemcdermott.org

This 42-year-old real estate broker from Huntington Station favors a free market health care system without federal assistance and would phase out Social Security to make room for a private, voluntary system. He previously ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in LI’s third congressional district. His platform includes opposing government surveillance of citizens and removing long prison sentences for nonviolent criminal offences. McDermott is a former president of the Hauppauge School Board.[/one_third][one_third_last]

Steven Cohn

(S) | sapientparty.com

This 65-year-old attorney from Long Beach did not participate in the lone gubernatorial debate in Buffalo because he says he was not contacted. He says he wants to make state government “responsive to the needs of the people” of New York. Cohen previously ran for governor as a Tea Party candidate. This time he’s running as a member of the newly formed Sapient Party—it means “wise man.” The party’s platform includes a flat tax and term limits for all elected officials.[/one_third_last]

Kathy Hochul

(D, WF, WE, I) | kathyhochul.com

Hochul, 56, is a former Congresswoman from the Buffalo area who was picked by Cuomo to replace Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy after Duffy declined to run for a second term. Hochul previously served as the Erie County Clerk and a member of the Hamburg Town Council. Like her running mate, she supports passage of the 10-point Women’s Equality Act—the most controversial of which includes codifying a woman’s right to abortion. She also supports the NY Dream Act, which would allow undocumented students in the state gain financial aid for higher education.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Chris Moss

(R, C, SCC) | robastorino.com

Moss, 46, the Chemung County Sheriff from upstate Elmira, is Astorino’s running mate. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, he served 26 years in the Sheriff’s office, including as a commander and investigator in the Criminal Investigation Division. He’s president of the New York State Sheriff’s Association. He opposes the SAFE Act out of concern that it restricts the rights of gun owners. He supports term limits and eliminating pension benefits for elected officials convicted of corruption.
[/one_half_last]

Brian P. Jones

(G) | howiehawkins.org

Hawkins’ running mate is Jones, 41, who has been a New York City public elementary school teacher for nine years and is currently pursuing a doctorate in urban education. A nationally recognized activist, his commentary and writings have appeared on MSNBC, in The New York Times and on Democracy Now! He is the recipient of the Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship, among other awards. He opposes privatization and school closures. He’s active in the social justice caucus of the United Federation of Teachers.[/one_third][one_third]

Chris Edes

(L) | vote-for-chris.net

The running mate for McDermott is this 35-year-old information technology consultant who lives in Rochester. If elected, he would overturn the current restrictions in New York State on issuing handgun permits. He’d end corporate welfare, curtailing the practice of giving money or tax breaks to corporations. He’d also lower the drinking age and fully legalize or decriminalize the use of marijuana by adults.
[/one_third][one_third_last]

Bobby Kumar Kalotee

(S) | sapientparty.com

Kalotee, 58, of Hicksville, is national chairman of the Sapient Party, which he founded a few years ago. He is running with Steven Cohn, his longtime friend who’s running for governor. He was the former chairman of Nassau’s Independence Party until he was ousted by state chairman Frank MacKay in 2011. Charged with faking his own kidnapping in 2001, he pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $17,000 in fines to compensate authorities for time lost on his behalf.
[/one_third_last]

Thomas DiNapoli

(D, WF, WE, I) | osc.state.ny.us

The 60-year-old Great Neck Plaza resident who has served as New York State Comptroller since February 2007 is running for his second full term. The former state Assemblyman began his political career when he was 18 and was elected as a trustee to the Mineola Board of Education. His current job entails analyzing and reporting on the state’s $140 billion budget, and overseeing the state’s $177 billion public pension fund. He supports publicly financed campaigns, but he opted out of state Legislature’s pilot program this year on the grounds that the version was flawed.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Robert Antonacci

(R, C, SCC) | bobantonacci.com

This 49-year-old attorney and certified public accountant has been the comptroller of Onondaga County since 2007. He is the lone participant in the state’s publicly financed campaign pilot program. He says the state comptroller should be auditing the state Legislature and the executive chamber in addition to routine audits of local municipalities such as school districts and fire departments around the state. He has proposed a five-point plan that he says would ensure the state’s pension fund remains viable by restructuring its management, reducing operational costs and reducing costs to local governments.[/one_half_last]

Theresa Portelli

(G) | theresaportelli.wordpress.com

Portelli, 62, is a former Albany City School Board member who ran for mayor of the upstate city last year, also on the Green Party line. She supports divesting the state pension fund of fossil fuel energy companies. Her campaign also calls for creating a board to oversee the pension fund instead of leaving it to just the comptroller. In addition, she has proposed creating a state bank to finance public works projects.[/one_half][one_half_last]

John Clifton

(L) | electclifton.wordpress.com

This 55-year-old Navy veteran from Queens who spent six years on the Poseidon and Trident II nuclear submarines is a social worker as well as a real estate marketer. He’s currently chief operating officer of East New York Holdings Ltd., and executive vice president of Applied Anthropologics, Inc., a business consultation service. If elected, he says that audits from his office would “reflect reality” as opposed to what he calls “the ongoing Democratic vs. Republican blame games.”[/one_half_last]

Eric T. Schneiderman

(D, I, WE, WF) | oag.state.ny.us

Schneiderman, 59, is running for his second term as the state’s top prosecutor. The former state Senator from Manhattan pushed for passage of I-STOP, a new database deigned to stop prescription painkiller abusers from the practice of doctor shopping in which addicts stockpile pills. He led the lawsuit that ended in an unprecedented $13 billion settlement from JP Morgan Chase for their role in causing the 2008 financial crisis—$613 million of which went to state coffers. And after Sandy, he secured fines against price gougers in addition to investigating unscrupulous charities.[/one_half][one_half_last]

John Cahill

(R, C, SCC) | cahillforag.com

Cahill is a 56-year-old former chief of staff and secretary to Gov. George Pataki who co-founded the Pataki-Cahill Group, a private business consulting group. He is also a former commissioner and chief counsel to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. He has criticized the attorney general after Thomas Schellhammer, Schneiderman’s former Conviction Review Bureau chief, recommended—and ultimately secured—the release of Ronald Bower, a man who spent nearly 23 years in prison for rapes an ever-growing number of law enforcement officials believe he did not commit. Cahill also opposes Cuomo’s SAFE Act.[/one_half_last]

Ramon J. Jimenez

(G) | ramonjjimenez.wordpress.com

This 66-year-old attorney from the South Bronx represents community groups. He is a former administrative law judge and senior administrative law judge for the New York State Workers Compensation Board. He has taught at Fordham University, Rutgers University, New York University, John Jay College and Hostos Community College. If elected, he said he would prioritize prosecuting white-collar crimes, abolish solitary confinement and enact fairer criminal prosecution procedures. He also ran for state attorney general in 2010 on the Freedom Party line.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Carl E. Person

(L)

Person, 78, of Manhattan, is a U.S. Army veteran and attorney specializing in commercial litigation, stopping mortgage foreclosures and defending small businesses who previously practiced law at several Wall Street law firms. If elected, he said he would create a “local stock market” to help small businesses, create local attorneys general and advise municipalities on how to lower property taxes. He previously ran for attorney general in 2010, president in ’12 and New York City mayor last year.[/one_half_last]

Timothy H. Bishop

(D,I, WF) | timbishop.house.gov

Bishop, 64, of Southampton, has spent more than a decade representing the East End and is currently running for his sixth term. The former Southampton College provost has concentrated his efforts on the economy, veterans’ affairs and the environment. He sits on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, and also serves on the House Education and Workforce Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He cites fighting for the middle class as one of his biggest priorities.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Lee Zeldin

(R, C) | zeldinforcongress.com

New York State Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), 34, is giving up his seat after two terms in exchange for a rematch against Bishop, who Zeldin unsuccessfully tried to unseat in 2008. Like every other GOP candidate running for Congress on LI, the Iraq War veteran supports repealing the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. He supports the controversial Keystone oil pipeline from Canada and opening upstate New York to the natural gas drilling practice known as fracking. He also opposes amnesty for undocumented immigrants. [/one_half_last]

Peter T. King

(R, C, I, TRP) | peteking.house.gov

King, 68, of Seaford, is running for his twelfth term representing the South Shore of Nassau and western Suffolk counties. As chairman of the Sub-Committee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence and member of the Homeland Security Committee, which he previously chaired, he has been outspoken on national security issues. King is also a strong supporter of the defense budget and veterans’ benefits. He also gained national headlines when he called out leaders of his own party for stalling on passing Sandy aid.[/one_third][one_third]

Patricia Maher

(D) | patriciamaher.com

Maher is a perennial candidate and former Republican who has repeatedly run for Nassau County legislative seats, a testament to her persistence. Her resumé includes nonprofit advocacy and working with local civic associations. She lists lowering property taxes and creating jobs as her priorities. She was a critic of federal and state government’s handling of Sandy relief, and has been calling on elected officials to make it easier for storm survivors to get through the red tape to make it easier to rebuild.[/one_third][one_third_last]

William D. Stevenson

(R, C) | www.facebook.com/stevensonforcongress

Voters may be familiar with the Stevenson, 46, of Amityville, who one year ago ran against Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville). Stevenson, who got 473 votes as the Green Party candidate, is now challenging King (R-Seaford). Stevenson wants to change America’s foreign policy objectives and is concerned about mass surveillance by government agencies and private corporations. He would like to see Congress address climate change. His plan for LI includes investing in sustainable development and public transportation. [/one_third_last]

Steve Israel

(D, I, WFP) | israel.house.gov

Israel, 56, of Dix Hills, is running for his eighth term representing the North and western Suffolk counties. The former Huntington Town councilman also serves as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee—making him pivotal in the party’s attempt to recapture the majority in the House. His priorities include decreasing the nation’s reliance on foreign oil, improving consumer protections as well as advocating for veterans and middle class families.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Grant Lally

(R, C, L) | grantlallyforcongress.com

This 52-year-old Lloyd Harbor resident vying to unseat Israel is managing partner of Mineola-based Lally & Misir, LLP, and was part of the legal team that represented President George W. Bush in Florida’s 2000 presidential election recount. He went on to advise the 43rd president on Irish-American relations. Lally, who lost two prior congressional runs, favors stricter border security and tax cuts aimed at job creation. He touts his diplomatic credentials and business acumen as publisher of a chain of online newspapers. [/one_half_last]

Kathleen Rice

(D, WF) | kathleenrice.com

Rice, 49, of Garden City, who has been Nassau County district attorney for the past nine years, is running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), a gun-control advocate who represents central Nassau. Rice similarly supports banning assault weapons and universal background checks for gun buyers. Rice has made headlines prioritizing prosecution of driving while intoxicated—including the first DWI murder conviction in New York State—as well as heroin and sex trafficking cases. This is her first run for higher office in four years after losing the Democratic primary for state attorney general. She also supports raising the minimum wage, equal pay for women and making college more affordable. Rice had co-chaired the governor’s Moreland Commission on public corruption, which she resigned from when she announced her candidacy in January—three months before the governor scrapped the commission, a move that is now the subject of a federal investigation.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Bruce Blakeman

(R, C, TRP) | bruceblakeman.com

The 59-year-old Long Beach resident’s resume includes stints on the Hempstead town board, as presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature and as a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioner. The attorney previously lost his bid for New York State comptroller in 1998 and for U.S. Senate four years ago. Like his Democratic opponents, he supports strengthening ties with Israel. Like his fellow Republican candidates, he favors repealing Obamacare, cutting taxes and is critical of expanding social welfare programs. If elected, he would push for increasing domestic energy production, restoring cuts to military spending and increasing military presence in Asia. Over the summer, he traded barbs with a writer for the National Review who criticized Blakeman for claiming that his then-Republican primary opponent was not a real conservative.[/one_half_last]

Gregory W. Meeks

(D) | meeks.house.gov

Gregory W. Meeks (D) meeks.house.gov
Meeks, 61, of Queens, whose recently redrawn district now includes parts of Nassau, is running for his ninth term. He supports President Obama’s call for reducing taxes on the middle class and blames House Republicans for squelching economic growth and choosing “politics over progress.” Meeks sits on the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Meeks is a supporter of Social Security, Medicare and other welfare programs, as well as the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Meeks is pro-choice, having voted against the prohibition of late-term abortions in 2003.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Allen F. Steinhardt

(AFC) | allen4congress.com

This 54-year-old Rockaway Park resident is an independent candidate running on his own line called Allen for Congress. As a home-improvement contractor, he is critical of the government’s Sandy response, which he blames for resulting in so many vacant properties after the storm. He is opposed to Common Core and Obamacare, while he supports better public transportation for the Rockaway Peninsula and increased national defense spending. His biggest complaint is that Meeks has been “absent” from the district.[/one_half_last]

Kenneth LaValle

(R,C,I) | nysenate.gov/senator/kenneth-p-lavalle

LaValle, 75, of Port Jefferson, is running for his 20th term representing the East End. He has chaired the Senate Committee on Higher Education for more than three decades, authored the historic Pine Barrens Preservation Act of 1993 and is credited with getting state money to help Stony Brook University build its new computer science building and a burn unit at Stony Brook University Medical School.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Michael Conroy

(D) | suffolkcountydems.com/candidate/michael-conroy

This 57-year-old construction worker-turned-labor representative from Manorville climbed the union ladder to become an executive board member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. He’s also served as vice chairman of both the Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town Democratic committees. His profile says he is running to “to support Governor Cuomo’s vision of making New York State a good place to work, prosper, enjoy and take pride in.”[/one_half_last]

John Flanagan

(R,C,I) | nysenate.gov/senator/john-j-flanagan

Flanagan, 53, of Smithtown, served 16 years in the state Assembly before being elected to the state Senate seat representing the North Shore of central Suffolk County twelve years ago. As chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Education, he focuses on the fair distribution of state aid to schools and takes credit for adding $250 million more in support of districts with the highest needs, whether upstate or downstate. He took the lead in banning the sale of salvia divinorum, synthetic marijuana and “bath salts,” as well as legislation to help cut down on illegally prescribed painkillers.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Joseph Lombardi

(D)

Lombardi, 34, of Centereach, is an assistant election clerk at Suffolk County Board of Elections making his first run for elected office. Lombardi said his two main issues are women’s equality and fracking. Lombardi backs Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Women’s Equality Act, which the state Legislature failed to pass this year. He also supports Cuomo’s wait-and-see approach to fracking. Lombardi said it’s important that the drilling technique be deemed environmentally safe before it gets the green light.[/one_half_last]

Tom Croci

(R, C, I)

The 42-year-old Islip Town Supervisor entered the race after Islip Town board member and liaison to the town parks department Anthony Senft dropped out when an illegal dumping scandal at a Brentwood park erupted. Croci, a U.S. Navy reservist, was deployed overseas when the scandal broke. Upon his return he apologized and announced plans to clean up the mess. He’s running for the seat representing the South Shore of central Suffolk County. Before he was elected, Croci served on President George W. Bush’s Homeland Security Council staff and as deputy executive Secretary of the Homeland Security Council. His campaign has focused on job creation, controlling taxes, opposing Common Core, a tough stance on crime and environmental protection.
[/one_half][one_half_last]

Adrienne Esposito

(D, G, WF)

Esposito, 53, of Patchogue, has spent years working with Long Island’s elected officials on improving LI as executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, which she co-founded nearly 30 years ago, but until now has never sought public office. She has lobbied for legislation on such issues as sewage pollution and protecting local waterways. Her campaign has focused on other policy objectives: passage of the Women’s Equality Act, strengthening public schools, and helping small businesses grow. If elected, she would be the first female state Senator in Suffolk County history. She is not registered to a political party, which she touts as a credential for working with both sides of the aisle.[/one_half_last]

Philip Boyle

(R, C, I) | nysenate.gov/senator/philip-boyle

Boyle, 51, of Bay Shore, represented the 8th Assembly District for 14 years before winning the seat previously helped by longtime state Senator Owen Johnson, who retired two years ago. A staunch fiscal conservative, he says he’s been focused on reducing government spending and lowering school property taxes. An active volunteer firefighter and practicing attorney, he chairs the committees on ethics as well as substance abuse, which he led in a statewide series of hearings on the heroin epidemic this summer.[/one_half][one_half_last]

John Alberts

(D)

This 30-year-old North Babylon resident and senior clerk at the Suffolk County Board of elections is not actively campaigning.[/one_half_last]

Carl Marcellino

(R,C,I) | nysenate.gov/senator/carl-l-marcellino

Marcellino, 71, of Syosset, is running for his tenth full term since winning the seat representing the North Shore of western Suffolk and eastern Nassau in 1995. A self-proclaimed environmentalist, he’s authored more than 100 environmental laws. He chairs the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations and serves on the rules, finance, banks, consumer protection, cultural affairs, education, environmental conservation and labor committees. A former science teacher in New York City, he was first elected to public service as the Oyster Bay Town Clerk.[/one_third][one_third]

Bruce Kennedy

(D, WF) | voteforkennedy.com

Kennedy, a 50-year-old lifelong Republican, changed party affiliation to join the Democrats when Nassau County Republican bosses declined to endorse his campaign against Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) because Kennedy, as mayor of Sea Cliff village, admitting to officiating two same-sex marriages. Kennedy called the GOP’s stance a “sad indictment” on the party because a “pro human rights” candidate no longer passes the party’s “litmus test.” Equality is also one of his key campaign issues, along with creating jobs and lowering taxes.[/one_third][one_third_last]

Georgina “Gigi” Bowman

(L) | gigibowmanforsenate.com

If there is one outsider candidate this year, it is this 55-year-old candidate from Huntington. Bowman wants the NY Safe Act repealed and is against the Common Core education standard. She became a political activist and is now vocal critic of the pharmaceutical industry (Big Pharma) after her daughter committed suicide in 2003, a year after taking a prescribed antidepressant. She’s campaigning on “real issues” and wants to take back liberties that she says have been stripped away.[/one_third_last]

Kemp Hannon

(R,C,I, TRP) | nysenate.gov/senator/kemp-hannon

Hannon, 68, of Garden City, is running for his 15th term representing the state Senate district that includes central western Nassau. A long-serving chair of the Senate’s health committee, he’s claimed credit for drafting legislation regarding drug-insurance programs for the elderly as well as an assisted living program, plus helping enact Child Health Plus and extending insurance coverage for autism, prostate and breast cancer screenings. He previously served a dozen years in the state Assembly.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Ethan Irwin

(D, WF) | ethanirwin.com

Irwin, 40, of Levittown, is a former U.S. Marine and current attorney who also volunteers as an EMT. He previously planned to challenge Hannon and last year lost a bid for Nassau County Legislature. His goals are offering small business incentives to create jobs, reducing taxes and supporting women’s equality. He is also opposed to the county’s school zone speed camera program.
[/one_half_last]

Sen. Jack Martins

(R,C,I,TRP) | nysenate.gov/senator/jack-m-martins * competitive

Martins, 47, is the former mayor of the Village of Mineola who is running for his third term representing central Nassau. In the Senate, he opposed the MTA Payroll Tax, sponsored the School Bus Mandate Relief Act and co-sponsored measures to require insurance companies to cover screening, diagnosis and treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. He chairs the Senate committees on local government and commerce.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Adam Haber

(D, G, WF, WE)

Haber, 49, of East Hills, has served on the Roslyn School Board for many years, but his first big splash into Nassau County politics came last year when he ran against Tom Suozzi in the Democratic primary for county executive, which he lost. Haber says he’s not a politician. He rather be known as a businessman and concerned citizen disappointed in how government has been managed. He touts his business experience as a solution to creating jobs and managing budgets. Haber, an advocate for women’s rights, also wants the Women’s Equality Act passed as-is. He’s grabbed endorsements from several unions, Planned Parenthood, and Sierra Club, an environmental activism group.[/one_half_last]

Michael Venditto

(R, C, I, TRP) | michaelvenditto.com

Venditto, 31, of Massapequa, is currently serving his first full term as Nassau County legislator after winning the seat left vacant when Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) died in 2012. He is son of Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto and former legal counsel to Hempstead Town Board. He’s running for the seat left vacant by retired state Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick), who previously held the seat representing the South Shore of eastern Nassau and western Suffolk counties. His primary concern is cutting property taxes.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Dave Denenberg

(D, WE, WF)

This 51-year-old longtime Nassau County legislator from Merrick is still on the ballot despite the fact that he dropped out of the race when his former law firm accused him in a lawsuit of allegedly billing a client for $2 million worth of work he never performed. But, since that bombshell dropped, rumors have surfaced that the suit was politically timed and settlement being is near. A group of civic leaders who are staunch supporters have since launched a “shadow campaign” encouraging voters to cast their ballots for the most outspoken county lawmaker despite the scandalous revelations.[/one_half_last]

Dean Skelos

(R,C, I,TRP) | nysenate.gov/senator/dean-g-skelos

Skelos, 66, of Rockville Centre, is the Senate majority co-leader in an unprecedented power-sharing agreement with the Independent Democratic Caucus, a small group of lawmakers that broke away from the rest of the party after its tumultuous two years in the majority. The arrangement ensures Skelos is still one of the most powerful politicians in New York. Now running for his 16th term, Skelos, touts his partnership with the Democratic governor to pass the property tax cap and get state budgets passed on time again after years of Albany blowing the deadline. He hopes to recapture the Republican majority in the upper chamber this November.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Patrick Gillespie, Jr.

(D, WF)

This 24-year-old East Rockaway resident and Nassau County Board of Elections worker is making his third run for office after failed bids for East Rockaway School Board and Hempstead Town Board. He’s opposed to the school zone speed cameras and wants to reverse the so-called Brain Drain in which young professionals move off of LI after they graduate because the cost of living is too high, leaving the region without enough skilled workers.[/one_half_last]

Fred Thiele, Jr.

(D, I, WF) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Fred-W-Thiele-Jr

Thiele, 61, a former Suffolk County legislator and Southampton Town supervisor, is running for his 10th full term since winning a special election in 1995 to represent the district that includes the entire South Fork. The former Republican-turned-Independence Party member who caucuses with Democrats is a strong advocate for land preservation, the environment, public transportation and a cap on property tax hikes.[/one_third][one_third]

Heather Collins

(R)

This assistant Suffolk County elections clerk from Southampton did not respond to requests for comment.[/one_third][one_third_last]

Brian J. DeSesa

(C)

A 33-year-old former Suffolk County prosecutor, DeSesa is works as a criminal defense attorney for the Sag Harbor-based law firm of Edward burke Jr. & Associates, where he specializes in criminal law, litigation, real-estate and land use.
[/one_third_last]

Anthony Palumbo

(R, C) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Anthony-H-Palumbo

This 44-year-old freshman Assemblyman from New Suffolk who won his seat in a special election last November is running for his second term representing the district that includes the North Fork. The former Suffolk County prosecutor was in private practice in a Mattituck law firm before taking office. He supports fully repealing the MTA payroll tax and a GOP version of the Women’s Equality Act that left out one of the 10 points in the Democrats’ version: the one codifying abortion rights.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Thomas Schiliro

(D, I, WF) | tomschiliroforassembly.com

Schiliro, 62, is a Manorville resident who spent nearly two decades with the Suffolk County Park Police where he was a sergeant. He’s now a Suffolk County police officer, and an adjunct professor in the criminal justice department at Suffolk County Community College. He supports all 10 points of the Women’s Equality Act, especially in regard to reproductive rights. Both he and Palumbo oppose the new Common Core education standards.[/one_half_last]

Edward J. Hennessey

(D, WF) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Edward-Hennessey

A former Suffolk County prosecutor and ex-Brookhaven Town councilman who also was a Shirley-based attorney in private practice, this 52-year-old freshman Assemblyman unseated his Republican predecessor two years ago to represent the southwest corner of Brookhaven town. He now sits on the committees on substance abuse, consumer affairs and energy, among others. He sponsored legislation increasing penalties for texting while driving, increase school aid and worked on Sandy recovery.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Dean Murray

(R, C ,I) | votedeanmurray.com

Murray, 50, of East Patchogue, who runs R&S Advertising Inc., had won his seat in a 2010 special election and was re-elected once before being ousted by Hennessey. Assembly GOP campaign workers placed a GPS tracking device on Hennessy’s vehicle in a failed attempt to prove that Murray’s successor doesn’t actually live in the district and is ineligible to run—a move that instead sparked various legislation to outlaw private citizens using GPS trackers.[/one_half_last]

Steven Englebright

(D,I, WFP) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Steve-Englebright

Englebright, 69, of Setauket, is running for his twelfth term representing the northwest corner of Brookhaven town. Trained as a biologist and geologist, he’s earned a reputation as a staunch environmentalist on LI by advocating for a state ban on baby bottles made with bisphenol-A (BPA), opposes fracking and supports clean energy. As chair of the parks committee, he helped Suffolk preserve open space and protect the Pine Barrens. He now chairs the governmental operations committee.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Christopher Keegan

(R, C)

Keegan, 49, Of Port Jefferson Station, owns Abstract Resolutions Corp., a title insurance company. He is running on the principles of limited government, lower taxes and creating jobs by letting the private sector flourish without oppressive government regulation. He strongly opposes Common Core. No more information was available despite repeated requests.[/one_half_last]

Alfred C. Graf

(R, C, I, SCC) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Al-Graf

Graf, 54, of Holbrook, is running for his third term representing the central-western area of Brookhaven town and northeastern corner of Islip town. The Navy veteran and retired New York City police officer has written bills dealing with protecting children and victims of domestic violence. He’s initiated a learn-to-work program bringing businesses and local colleges together to help the curriculum better match the needs of the business community.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Deborah Slinkosky

(D)

This 58-year-old former Sachem School Board member from Holbrook has been a deputy aide and educational liaison at the state Department of Social Services, where she has provided educational stability and promoted equal opportunity for all school aged children in temporary housing for nearly seven years. She is also a civic leader, member of the Islip town youth bureau and a former bank manager. She supports women’s equality, Common Core and reducing taxes.
[/one_half_last]

Philip Ramos

(D, I, WF) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Phil-Ramos

Ramos, 58, a retired Suffolk County police detective who lives in Brentwood, is running for his seventh term representing the northwest corner of Islip town. He’s wants to raise the minimum wage and pass the Dream Act. He has pushed legislation to help crack down on illegal guns so they don’t fall into the hands of gangs. He co-chairs the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Victoria Serpa

(R, C, UCP) | serpaforassembly.com

Serpa, 34, of brentwood, is a former Democrat who is now an independent. She is Ramos’ former chief of staff, previously worked for ex-Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and currently serves as the assistant to the commissioner for the Town of Islip Department of Public Works. She lists her priorities as economic issues, education healthcare and social issues.[/one_half_last]

Andrew Garbarino

(R, C, I) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Andrew-R-Garbarino

Garbarino, 30 of Sayville, is running for his second term representing the South Shore of Islip town and East Pachogue. He says that he believes Albany is in need of more fiscally conservative ideals. He is a practicing lawyer at his family’s law firm, specializing in land-use and estate tax law. He is critical of the tax burden on businesses. He wants to push for unfunded state mandate relief and government ethics reform.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Deborah Pfeiffer

(D)

Pfeiffer, 55, of Bayport, is a former Bayport-Blue Point school board member and the wife of George Nolan, Suffolk’s legislative counsel, and sister-in-law of Phil Nolan, former Islip Town supervisor and current president of Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corporation. She’s now a record retention officer at the Suffolk County Water Authority. She previously ran for seats on the Suffolk County Legislature and Islip Town Board.[/one_half_last]

Michael J. Fitzpatrick

(R, C, I) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Michael-J-Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick, 57, of St. James, is running for his seventh term representing a district that includes all of the Town of Smithtown and a sliver of northern Islip town. He’s a fiscal conservative who works as an investment associate for a financial services firm in Port Jefferson. A resident, he spent 15 years on the Smithtown Town Council before joining the Assembly. He serves as the ranking minority member on the Assembly Housing Committee.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Jason Zove

(D, WF) | jasonzove.com

Zove, 26, of Commack, is a legislative aide for Suffolk Legis. Bill Lindsay III (D-Holbrook) and a former aide for the legislator’s late father who was the presiding officer of the Suffolk Legislature. A graduate of Hofstra with a degree in secondary education, Zove has a master’s from Stony Brook University in liberal studies. He touts his background in education and government as credentials that can help him advocate for taxpayers.[/one_half_last]

Joseph Saladino

(R, C, I, TRP) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Joseph-S-Saladino

Saladino, 51, is running for his sixth full term in office after winning a special election in 2004 to represent the U-shaped district that includes Seaford and Massapequa, Jones Beach, plus the southeastern corner of Babylon town and southwestern corner of Islip town. He boasts making the striped bass the official state fish. The former broadcast journalist also created a task force committed to protecting youth from heroin addiction and prescription drug abuse. He was formerly the executive assistant for the Town of Hempstead and director of operations for the Town of Oyster Bay. [/one_half][one_half_last]

Edward M. Buturla

(D)

Buturla, 50, of West Babylon, is an inspector in the Town of Babylon’s Department of Environmental Conservation. He is running on a platform of increasing state aid to LI schools and better regulating foreclosed properties held by banks. No more information was available despite repeated requests.[/one_half_last]

Chad Lupinacci

(R, C, I) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Chad-A-Lupinacci/

Lupinacci, 35, of Huntington, is a freshman Assemblyman running for his second term representing the western half of Huntington town. He is an attorney specializing in real estate law and estate planning. He teaches classes in business law at Farmingdale State College and is also an adjunct professor of political science at St. Joseph’s College and Hofstra University. Before he joined the Assembly, he served three terms as a trustee for the South Huntington Union Free School District. Education is his top issue.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Dominick Feeney, Jr.

(D)

Feeney, 60, of Melville, is a retired Dix Hills Water District superintendent, where he worked for three decades. He also served as a management consultant to the Suffolk County Water Authority. This is his first run for office. His chief issue is groundwater protection.[/one_half_last]

Kimberly Jean-Pierre

(D, WF, I) | kimberlyjeanpierre.ruck.us

This 30-year-old first-time candidate from Wheatley Heights is one of three vying to replace outgoing Assemb. Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst), who’s retiring after 26 years of representing the western and northern halves of Babylon town. Jean-Pierre began her career in public service as an aide to Legis. DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville) and later working for U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills) before she became head of the Wyandanch Community Recourses Center. She touts her experience in the Wyandanch Rising Project as a commitment to bring higher-paying jobs to the district.[/one_third][one_third]

Mark M. Gallo

(R)

Making his fifth run for public office is this 46-year-old assistant Suffolk County elections commissioner, Navy veteran and former immigration agent who also runs a private security and investigation firm in his hometown of Lindenhurst. He previously ran for Babylon town supervisor and twice ran for county legislature.[/one_third][one_third_last]

James G. Butler

Butler, 60, of Lindenhurst, is an Army veteran and retired New York City police sergeant who later retired as an investigator for the Suffolk County district attorney’s office. He favors lowering taxes and opposes Common Core.[/one_third_last]

Andrew P. Raia

(R,C,I) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Andrew-P-Raia

Raia, 46, of East Northport, is running for his seventh term representing the eastern half of Huntington town, the northeastern corner of Babylon town and the northwestern corner of Islip town. He on the committees on aging, banks, health and rules. He has pushed legislation creating a database of violent felons, increasing penalties for “Knockout Game” participants and cracking down on animal abuse. He is running unopposed, again.[/one_half][one_half_last] [/one_half_last]

Charles D. Lavine

(D, I, WE, WF) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Charles-D-Lavine

Lavine, 67, an attorney living in Glen Cove, is running for his sixth term representing a backward C-chaped district that stretches along the coast from Rosyln to Oyster Bay and incland from Woodbury to Westbury. He has fought against gun trafficking and for campaign finance reform. As chairman of the Assembly’s ethics committee, the former Glen Cove city councilman who won his seat in a 2002 special election has been in the middle of the discussion to clean up Albany’s public corruption problem. He also pushed legislation to ban upstate fracking until 2017.[/one_third][one_third]

Louis Imbroto

(R, C) | imbroto.com

Imbroto, 30, a Plainview resident, is an assistant town attorney for the Town of Oyster Bay who is challenging Lavine to a rematch. He previously worked in private practice, at the Long Island Contractors’ Association, and serves as the chair of the Nassau County Youth Cabinet and president of LIincs, a youth-minded civic organization. He lists his goals as lowering taxes and fostering responsible development.[/one_third][one_third_last]

Jeffery J. Peress

(G) | electperess.wordpress.com

Jeffery J. Peress (G) electperess.wordpress.com
Peress, 42, of Glen Cove, volunteers for the Glen Cove Fire Department and North Shore Sheltering Program for Homeless men. He’d raise the minimum wage, ban fracking and support the use of hemp, hydroelectric, solar, geothermal and wind power for the environment. He’d also raise income taxes on individuals making more than $400,000 annually.[/one_third_last]

David G. McDonough

(R, C, I, TRP) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/David-G-McDonough

McDonough, 77, of Merrick, is running for his seventh full term after winning a special election in 2002 to represent the southeastern corner of Nassau from Baldwin Harbor to Levittown. He sits on the committees on consumer affairs, education and health, among others. He handles issues relating to homeland security, emergency services, police and law enforcement and the courts. He’s the past president of the Nassau County Council of Chambers of Commerce and active in the Kiwanis Club. [/one_half][one_half_last]

Gaspare Tumminello

(D, WF) | gtumminello.com

Tumminello, 31, of North Merrick, is the deputy chief of staff of the Democratic minority in the Nassau County Legislature and previously worked as the county’s deputy commissioner for the department of purchasing. He is running on a campaign of lowering taxes, rebuilding from Sandy, more school funding and women’s equality.[/one_half_last]

Michael A. Montesano

(R, C, I, TRP) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Michael-Montesano

Montesano, 60, of Glen Head, is running for his third full term after winning a special election in 2010 to represent a spaghetti-shaped district that includes Bayville, Syosset, Salisbury, Hicksville and Farmingdale. He’s an attorney, former New York City police detective and has served as Roslyn Harbor village justice and prosecutor. He sits on the committees on codes, corporations, judiciary, labor and oversight and investigation. He wants to focus on cutting taxes.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Mario Ferone

(D)

Ferone, 21, of Plainview, is seeking a rematch against Montesano, who he lost to two years ago while making his first run for office. He’s a Stony Brook University student who wants to help fight the Brain Drain, the term for young professionals moving off LI due to the cost of living, leaving the region without a skilled workforce. [/one_half_last]

Michelle Schimel

(D, I, WE, WF) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Michelle-Schimel

Schimel, 57, of Great Neck, is running for her fourth full term after winning a special election in 2007 to represent the northwestern corner of Nassau. A board member of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, she is the sponsor of a bill to help law enforcement officials trace spent cartridges at crime scenes by requiring microstamping of semiautomatic weapons, an issue that gained traction after the Newtown massacre, but has not passed the state Senate.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Douglas Lee

(R, C) | dougleeforassembly.com

Lee, 53, of Manhasset, is an immigrant from Hong Kong who is a computer systems management professional at a financial services company. He is running on a platform of cutting taxes, lowering energy costs and reducing government waste. He previously served as chair of the Chinese Cultural Association of Long Island.[/one_half_last]

Thomas McKevitt

(R, C, I, TRP) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Tom-McKevitt

McKevitt, 43, of East Meadow, is running for his fifth full term representing central Nassau after winning the seat in a special election in 2006. The former deputy town attorney for Town of Hempstead also previously worked as an aide to state Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) and ex-U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY). He wants to focus on unfunded state mandate relief. He’s the ranking minority member on the Assembly’s committees on the judiciary and mental health and is Assistant Minority Leader Pro Tempore, the No. 3 rank in the GOP’s Assembly minority. [/one_half][one_half_last]

Jonathan Clarke

(D) | democracy.com/VoteJonathanClarke

Clarke, 37, of Levittown, is an attorney in private practice with an East Northport-based firm who previously held positions in the offices of the state attorney general and U.S. attorney general. His top issues are lowering taxes through government consolidation and ethics reform in the wake of the recent slew of public corruption cases involving state lawmakers. He describes his background as working class, which he says helps him understand the struggles LI residents face.[/one_half_last]

Earlene Hooper

(D,I) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Earlene-Hooper

Hooper, 75, of Hempstead, is running for his 14th full term representing central Nassau after winning a special election in 1988. She has since worked her way up the ranks to the deputy Assembly speaker, making her the highest ranking woman in the state Legislature. A social worker by training, she has been an administrator in the state Department of Social Services, Division of Children and Family Services. She supports women’s equality, minorities and small business. [/one_half][one_half_last]

Cornelius Smith

(R, C, TRP)

Smith, 45, of Lakeview, is a banker with nearly 20 years experience in the financial sector. He is co-founder of NAU Global, which teaches banking and finance and founded Biz Kidz, which teaches children about importance of business ownership. He believes in lowering taxes and helping small business. [/one_half_last]

Edward Ra

(R, C, I, TRP) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Edward-P-Ra

Ra, 33, of Garden City South, is running for his third term representing the central Nassau district. He previously served as the deputy town attorney for the Town of Hempstead and a legal aide in the state attorney general’s office. He is a member of the Assembly’s committees on codes, education, health and labor.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Gary B. Port

(D, WF) | garyportforassembly.com

Port, 52, of West Hempstead, is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, former Brooklyn prosecutor and a partner in the law firm of Port & Sava, where he specializes in defending service members, their dependants and retirees. He wants to focus on job growth and also supports term limits.[/one_half_last]

Todd Kaminsky

(D, WE, WF)

Kaminsky, 36, of Long Beach, is running for the seat being left vacant by outgoing state Assemb. Harvey Weinstein (D-Long Beach), who is retiring from the Assembly, where he represented the southwest corner of Nassau for a quarter century. He previously worked as a prosecutor. His priorities are fighting for more state aid for schools, women’s equality and rebuilding after Sandy.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Avi Fertig

(R, C)

This 42-year-old Woodmere resident is an assistant to Hempstead Town Senior Councilman Anthony J. Santino. He touts his experience working to help constituents in the aftermath of Sandy as evidence of his ability to get results for residents in times of need. His platform includes cutting taxes and fixing Common Core.[/one_half_last]

Brian F. Curran

(R, C, I, TRP) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Brian-Curran

Curran, 45, of Lynbrook, is running for a third term representing a sliver of the southwestern corner of Nassau. Before being elected to that seat, he was the assistant village prosecutor of Lynbrook, a Nassau County deputy attorney and a former Lynbrook mayor. He’s a member of the Assembly’s committees on aging, banks, ethics, labor and veterans’ affairs. He helped sponsor a bill to tighten regulations on body-piercing and tattooing.[/one_half][one_half_last]

Adam Shapiro

(D)

Shapiro, 24, of East Rockaway, works for the Nassau County Board of Elections. He favor campaign finance reform, women’s equality and Common Core.[/one_half_last]

Michaelle Solages

(D,I, WE, WF) | assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Michaelle-C-Solages

Solages, 29, of Elmont, is a freshman Assemblywoman running for her second term representing the central Nassau district that abuts the city line. Before being elected, she was a community activist, freelance photojournalist, paralegal and the supervisor of access services at Hofstra’s Axinn Library. Committees she sits on include consumer affairs, government employees and racing and wagering. [/one_half][one_half_last]

Gonald Moncion

(R, C)

This 45-year-old Valley Stream resident is a guidance counselor in the New York City school system. His biggest issue is education, which he hopes to support by both cutting taxes and increasing funding to schools. He also supports women’s equality.[/one_half_last]

John M. Kennedy Jr.

(R)

Kennedy, 58, of Nesconset, is the minority leader of the Suffolk County Legislature, where he has served for the past decade and is now seeking to replace term-limited Comptroller Joseph Sawicki, a fellow Republican. Kennedy “vehemently” opposes the referendum on the Suffolk ballot this Election Day that, if passed, would abolish the independently elected post of county treasurer, currently held by Republican Angie Carpenter, and consolidate those financial duties under the comptroller’s office. He thinks the savings promised by backers of the measure are illusionary and wants to uphold the separation of the two offices.[/one_half][one_half_last]

James Gaughran

(D, I, WF)

Gaughran, 57, of Eatons Neck, is chairman of the Suffolk County Water Authority. He’s been a former member of the Huntington Town Board and was a Suffolk legislator in the 1980s and 1990s. He supports the referendum to consolidate the present county treasurer’s duties under the comptroller’s office. [/one_half_last]