Thursday, October 1, 2026
Ford, who will be seeking a third term, has run on the Republican line each time and is a member of the legislature's GOP minority caucus, despite being a registered Democrat. She was first elected in 2003, upsetting Democrat Michael Zapson in a year when the Republicans swept Long Beach for the only time in 40 years, and was reelected, again as a Republican, in 2005.
"I've had discussion with Denise Ford, and she's happy to accept the Democratic nomination as well as the Republican," Jacobs said. "I called the various local [Long Beach] folks, and they were very positive in their response."
The deal will be announced when the Democrats hold their County Convention at the Cradle of Aviation on May 30.
The Democrats hold a tenuous 10-9 majority in the Nassau Legislature, so unseating Ford, who represents a heavily Democratic district, had been a priority for the Nassau County Democratic organization in the past. However, her popularity has made finding a viable opponent difficult for the Democrats. The Fourth District includes the entire Long Beach barrier island, from Point Lookout to Atlantic Beach, and parts of Island Park and Oceanside.
When asked why in heavily Democratic Long Beach the party couldn't find a viable Democrat to run, Jacobs said, "We already have one, in Denise."
Ford, reached via cell phone from a family trip upstate, said while it wasn't impossible another Democrat might run a primary against her, she was humbled by the party's decision. "It is an honor," she said "This motivates me to work even harder for everyone. I realize that a lot of people appreciate the job I'm doing; I want to cry... Everybody realizes I'm working for them. My feeling is everybody is important to me, and now in turn they're saying I'm important to them. It's like a flock of angels looking over me."
What this does to the balance of power in the legislature is unclear. The Democrats' one-vote majority has meant that any one legislator who strays on an issue threatens the majority, in effect giving each individual legislator extraordinary powers and providing plenty of headaches to the leadership. Democrat Roger Corbin was stripped of his post as deputy majority leader because he kept abstaining on key bills, denying his party a majority on them. If the Democrats have indeed added Ford to their stable even on a few votes, the power of the individual Democrats to effectively stray from the reservation is diminished.
Jacobs said he did not expect Ford to pledge allegiance to the Nassau Democrats, but to vote less in tandem with the GOP. "She's now made it very clear, going forward, she's going to look at every piece of legislation and vote on the merits, rather than in lockstep with the Republican leadership."
Legislator Peter Schmidt, the Republican leader, did not return a call for comment.
Ford said she expected to rejoin the GOP caucus next term but agreed with Jacobs's characterization that she would look at each bill independently. But she added that had been the philosophy she employed during her entire tenure.
Ford has been a registered Democrat her entire life, as she frequently mentions when campaigning in Long Beach. She ran against Zapson as something of a lark, a warmup for a potential City Council run, but was swept into office by a wave of voter frustration with the Long Beach Democratic leadership.
After beating Zapson by a nose, Ford was easily reelected in 2005. While she generally doesnt try to deny she is an amateur, somewhat reluctant politician, her opponents concede she has shored up almost insurmountable support among key constituents.
She has extremely strong union ties she was a shop steward for Verizon before retiring and is viewed with community-wide empathy as the widow of New York City Firefighter Harry Ford, who was killed battling a fire on Fathers Day 2000.
Thus the Long Beach Democrats have had little luck attracting viable candidates willing to take her on this year, despite the partys newfound viability and pressure from the countys Democratic leadership to put her seat back in Democratic hands.
Even if Ford were to lose a Democratic primary, the nominee would have a difficult time finding support within his own party. Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, no stranger to rocking his partys boat, announced Thursday, before the cross-endorsement was decided upon, that he would endorse Ford no matter who her opponent is.
Shes honest, hard working and shes Long Beach, through and through, Weisenberg said.
Long Beach Democratic Leader Steve Polcer had no comment.
This winter, Ford bought a new house in Long Beachs West End, a few blocks from where she has lived for the last 25 years. According to Ford, when she re-registered to vote she did so as a Democrat.
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