JUNE 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 9
IN THE NEWS
PRIMARY PREVIEW
LI’S HOTTEST RACES
BY TIMOTHY BOLGER
Voters will decide this month between
more than a dozen candidates on primary
ballots in five races spanning all but
one of the five congressional districts
that comprise Long Island’s federal
delegation.
As usual, the most crowded field of
contenders on the federal level is the
four-way Democratic primary in which
candidates are running for a chance in
November to unseat U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin
(R-Shirley) in the first congressional
district on LI’s East End.
“He looks forward to building upon his
work for Long Island and our nation in
his third term,” Zeldin’s campaign said
in a statement in response to the Democratic
primary.
The primaries will decide who’s on
ballots during the pivotal presidential
election in which Republican President
Donald Trump seeks a second term
against Democratic former Vice President
Joe Biden.
Vying for the Democratic line in the
first congressional district race to face
Zeldin are businessman Perry Gershon
of East Setauket, Suffolk County Legislator
Bridget Fleming (D-Southampton),
Stony Brook University professor
Nancy Goroff, and business strategist
Gregory-John Fischer of Calverton.
In the second congressional district on
the South Shore of Nassau County and
southwestern Suffolk County, the seat
being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Peter
King (R-Seaford), there are primaries
on both sides of the aisle. Former Babylon
Town Councilwoman Jackie Gordon
of Copiague is facing lawyer Patricia
Maher, while Republican nominee
New York State Assemblyman Andrew
Garbarino (R-Sayville) has a challenge
from state Assemblyman Mike LiPetri
(R-Massapequa).
In the third congressional district on
the North Shore of Nassau, western
Suffolk, and eastern Queens, U.S. Rep.
Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) has two
Workers prepare ballots from a drop box for the mail-sorting machine during the presidential primary at King
County Elections ballot processing center in Renton, Washington, U.S. March 10, 2020. (REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson)
challengers: Former Brooklyn prosecutor
Michael Weinstock of Great Neck
and wellness coach Melanie D’Arrigo
of Port Washington. And in the fifth
congressional district, U.S. Rep. Gregory
Meeks (D-Queens), who represents
parts of southwestern Nassau, has a
challenge in Shaniyat Chowdhury, a
lawyer from Queens.
A handful of state legislative seats also
have primaries on tap. The departure
of longtime state Sen. Kenneth LaValle
(R-Port Jefferson) in the first state Senate
District on the East End has prompted a
five-way Democratic primary between
Parents For Megan’s Law Executive Director
Laura Ahearn of Port Jefferson,
Southampton Town Councilman Tommy
John Schiavoni (D-North Haven),
Suffolk County Community College
political science student Skyler Johnson
of Mt. Sinai, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman
Valerie Cartright (D-Port
Jefferson Station), and Nora Higgins, a
Public Employees Federation regional
coordinator from Ridge.
And in the second state Assembly District
on the North Fork, businessman
William Schleisner of Sound Beach
and former Riverhead Town Supervisor
Laura Jens-Smith are vying for a
chance to challenge state Assemblyman
Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).
And in the sixth state Senate District
in central Nassau, Hempstead Town
Councilman Dennis Dunne (R-Levittown)
and minor-party candidate
Jonathan Gunther are both on primary
ballots for the Libertarian Party line
to challenge freshman state Sen. Kevin
Thomas (D-Levittown).
The primaries will be held on June
23. Early voting will be held June 13
through June 21. Contact the Nassau
or Suffolk board of elections for a list
of local polling places for in-person
voting.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov.
Andrew Cuomo ordered all registered
voters in New York State receive absentee
ballots so they can mail in their vote
to avoid potentially catching the virus
at crowded polling stations. Absentee
ballots must be postmarked by June 22.
Return postage is paid.
“We’ve made great progress to reduce
the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but
we still don’t know when this pandemic
will end and we don’t want to undo all
the work we’ve already done to flatten
the curve,” the governor said. “We don’t
want to put New Yorkers in a situation
where they are possibly putting their
health at risk.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all registered voters
in New York State receive absentee ballots so they
can mail in their vote to avoid potentially catching
the virus at crowded polling stations.”
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