Election 2012

State, federal seats up for grabs next month

Posted

Though most of the hype is surrounding this year’s presidential election, there are many other seats up for grabs this Election Day.

It’s the race between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney that will draw most voters to the polls on Nov. 6. Moving right on the ballot, there will be candidates for a variety of other state and federal elections. All seats in the New York state Assembly, state Senate and House of Representatives are up this year.

Many voters, however, won’t find their current representative on the ballot. State Assembly and Senate districts were redrawn during a redistricting process mandated by the 2010 census, shifting thousands of homes into other districts.

New York state also is losing two seats in the House of Representatives due to population shifts among the 50 states. One seat was taken away upstate, the other right here on Long Island.

Long-time Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy remains the incumbent in the 4th district, however several communities have been added to the territory including Long Beach, Lido and Island Park. All of Baldwin, Bellmore, Merrick and Freeport will also be part of that district.

Residents of those communities will no longer see Peter King’s name on the ballot as his district has been shifted further east. Instead, they will have a choice between McCarthy, a Democrat, and two challengers.

In a rematch of 2010, Nassau County Legislator Fran Becker opposes McCarthy. The Republican from Lynbrook defeated Frank Scaturro in a primary earlier this year. However, Scaturro was able to secure the Conservative party line, creating a three-way race for the seat.

Some areas in western Nassau County, previously represented by McCarthy, now shift to a district based in Queens. Portions of Valley Stream, Elmont and Inwood will become part of the 5th Congressional District.

Page 1 / 2