“The overarching issue is always tied into taxes,” Abrahams said. “Long Island as a region, we send an enormous amount of money in federal tax dollars to Washington, and we don’t see that return on investment. You saw it two years ago with Superstorm Sandy, where the congressional members on Long Island had to practically beg for us to get the necessary resources to rebuild the region. So it’s all tied into making sure that we get our fair share.”

If elected, Abrahams said he would build on McCarthy’s legacy as a gun control advocate by pressing for “comprehensive background checks” for gun purchases. However, he stressed a “two-pronged” approach to curbing gun violence, incorporating both gun control measures and support, including funding, for social services like mental health care and youth programs.

Abrahams, who previously worked as budget director for the Nassau County Legislature’s Democratic caucus, a legislative aide to McCarthy and to former Queens Democratic Rep. Floyd Flake, and a financial analyst for Astoria Federal Savings Bank, was first elected in 2002 and won re-election six more times in the Legislature’s 1st District, which now covers parts of Roosevelt, Uniondale, Baldwin, Freeport East Meadow and Hempstead. His fellow Democratic legislators selected him as the chamber’s minority leader in 2012.