Candidates gather endorsements in 2nd C.D. as race heats up

Garbarino focuses on local issues in 2nd C.D.

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State Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino, the Republican candidate for the seat in the 2nd Congressional District, has been a candidate in four elections, and never lost. His perfect record led him to believe he had a surefire game plan for representing the South Shore. 

But this year is different for the Sayville native. Unlike previous campaigns, Garbarino, 35, hasn’t been able to go out and meet his potential constituents. He hasn’t been able to shake their hands or walk the campaign trail to ask them to support his campaign. In the June primary, it didn’t matter. He corralled almost 64 percent of the vote, effectively crushing the upstart challenger Michael LiPetri.

“We performed well everywhere,” Garbarino said. “We didn’t lose a town. Whether it was Islip, Babylon, Hempstead, Oyster Bay, we didn’t lose one town. It was good to come out of primaries with big wins in those areas, but also to come away with the endorsement of LiPetri.”

With that endorsement, Garbarino has secured the support of every Republican and Conservative in the district. Many Suffolk County elected officials also announced their backing, and in Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead, the list of endorsements includes State Assemblymen John Mikulin and Dave McDonough; County Legislators Steven D. Rhoads, Thomas McKevitt and John R. Ferretti Jr.; and Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr., Councilmen Dennis Dunne Sr. and Christopher Carini, Clerk Kate Murray and Receiver of Taxes Jeanine C. Driscoll. 

But the most influential name on the list for Garbarino is the man he aims to succeed, 14-term Seaford Republican Peter King.

“I am delighted to support Andrew Garbarino to represent the good people of Long Island,” King said in a statement. “These hard-working citizens need a strong advocate who will put their interests over politics and fight hard against the extreme progressive left policies of Congressional Democrats. That is what I have always done, and I know Andrew will, too.”

Garbarino said that one issue he will focus on early is “restoring law and order” and supporting law enforcement. He added that King has been a proponent of law and order for many years in Congress.

The 2nd C.D. spans parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties and includes all of Seaford and most of Wantagh. Clavin was adamant that Garbarino was the right choice to represent a portion of the town of Hempstead.

“Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino is a qualified and strong leader who has shown his ability to deliver for Long Island families,” Clavin said in a statement. “In the Assembly, he has worked to protect our environment, supported small business, provided more resources for our veterans, passed middle-class tax cuts and stands firmly with our men and women in law enforcement. I look forward to working with him in Congress to help America’s largest township continue to be one of the best places to live, work and raise a family on Long Island.”

Endorsements continued to come in for Garbarino, a George Washington University and Hofstra Law School alumnus. “The New York State Troopers endorsement just came in today,” he told the Herald on July 30. “The unions that were with me in the primaries are also sticking with me in the general.” He also recently met with Nassau and Suffolk County detectives unions to vie for their support as well.

Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, announced his support for the Democratic candidate in the race, Jackie Gordon, on Monday. Obama included Gordon in a list of Democratic candidates across the country whom he will support in November. Gordon was one of six candidates in New York to receive Obama’s backing. “I’m proud to endorse this diverse and hopeful collection of thoughtful, empathetic and highly qualified Democrats,” he wrote in a Twitter post.

Although he is eyeing a move from Albany to Washington, D.C., Garbarino insists that his focus will stay local. “Most voters care about their own district first,” he told the Herald. “They don’t want their congressperson to get swallowed up in national politics. They don’t care, and don’t want their congressperson going there and getting involved in the international issues. They want them going down there to fight to make their day-to-day lives better.”

He added, “Look, I’m just like you guys. I want a better life for you and your family. I want to make sure that people can still go to the beach. I want to make sure families stay safe, can drink the water, can get to work every day, avoid potholes. That’s where we have to focus.

“There are 435 members of Congress,” he continued. “I might be the only one that doesn’t want to be president. I don’t have these grand plans to become president or secretary of state. I’m doing this because I think it’s the right thing to do, and I really think I could do a good job.”