Herald Endorsement

Re-elect Kathleen Rice in the 4th Congressional District

Posted

For 15 years, Kathleen Rice has worked hard to serve the public, first as the Nassau County District attorney and then as a member of Congress, and she deserves another term representing the 4th Congressional District. Though her opponent, Douglas Tuman, showed a commendable desire to serve in Congress, Rice is the more well-rounded, experienced candidate.

If re-elected, Rice said her top priority would be to help local businesses, hospitals and schools recover from the coronavirus pandemic. During her tenure, she has already assisted in helping pass programs to help all of the above financially, and she said she plans to continue to fight for them in Congress in her next term.

Rice is right when she says the virus should not be a political issue — and should not be treated like one. She has vowed to secure more money to aid small businesses and the unemployed.

Rice, who is passionate about social justice, said greater police transparency and improved community-police relations are vital to maintaining strong communities. In Congress, she has advocated for the proposed George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, which, if passed, would address a wide range of police practices and law enforcement accountability issues. It also calls for enhanced police transparency and misconduct data collection and seeks to eliminate discriminatory police practices.

Rice said banning chokeholds and improving police training would also be priorities of hers. She is not a proponent of defunding the police, but she said programs also need to be created to foster better community-officer relations in Nassau County.   She also said she believed Nassau County Police Department personnel should reflect the diverse community that they serve.

Rice said she understands the potential for wind energy to help meet the nation’s power needs, and she would work to pass stricter gun control laws, create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, that would secure borders while offering a chance at freedom, and enact 12-year term limits for members of Congress.

Tuman said he was motivated to run to change the perception of the Republican Party and to be an accessible and transparent representative, all of which is admirable. He also presented a data-driven idea on how to distribute Covid-19 recovery funds. Though Tuman’s passion and willingness to jump into the political rings are commendable, he did not offer full-fledged plans to solve many of the major problems facing the 4th Congressional District, and he has no political experience.

For all that Rice has done in the past and all that she can accomplish in the future, we urge voters to return her to Congress.