Blakeman, Rice to face off in 4th CD

Bill San Antonio

Democrat Kathleen Rice and Republican Bruce Blakeman each won their party’s primary election on Tuesday for New York’s 4th Congressional District and will square off in November to determine who will succeed the retiring Carolyn McCarthy in Washington.

Rice, the Nassau County district attorney, defeated Nassau County Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) 6,874-5,350, while Blakeman, the county Legislature’s former presiding officer, defeated New Hyde Park attorney Frank Scaturro, 8,461-4,404, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

“I believe that if we elect more pragmatic problem-solvers like me, we can begin to chip away at the problems in Washington, the historic gridlock, and begin to get real things done for the real people we represent and get government back on the side of people, not the elected and the connected,” said Rice, 49, who received 55.90 percent of the Democratic vote.

Blakeman, 58, of Long Beach, said he was surprised by his margin of victory over Scaturro and said he would welcome Scaturro’s support during his campaign in the general election.

“I think we had the right message and we had the right team and people who believed in me as a candidate,” Blakeman said.

Blakeman, who received 65.07 percent of the GOP vote, said he would work to repeal the Affordable Care Act if elected and “replace it with something that makes sense and is affordable,” while growing the national economy from within the private sector and maintaining a strong military.

“We have to create a better America. This is a land of opportunity,” he said. “We haven’t taken advantage of the great resources we have, and the resources are not provided by the government.”

The 4th Congressional District of New York includes the communities of Baldwin, Bellmore, East Meadow, the Five Towns, Lynbrook, Floral Park, Franklin Square, Garden City, Hempstead, Long Beach, Malverne, Merrick, Mineola, Carle Place, New Hyde Park, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, Roosevelt, Uniondale, West Hempstead and Westbury.

In her victory speech at Pier 95 restaurant in Freeport, Rice said she would prioritize efforts to make college more affordable and raise the minimum wage while in Washington, while also working toward immigration reform and legislation to combat gun violence.

“The problem is the American dream is too far out of reach for too many people,” she said. “Our national economic recovery is leaving too many people behind.”

Abrahams, 39, who arrived at his watch party at Murphy’s Pub and Grill in Mineola around midnight, said he had congratulated Rice on her campaign but did not concede the election Tuesday night, saying he had not yet received precinct results in Freeport or from 1,327 absentee ballots. 

“I will take the opportunity to take a look at what’s left in that universe, but we’re not going to drag this out,”  Abrahams said on Tuesday night. “What bodes well for the 4th Congressional District is that the seat remains Democratic.”

At press time, all 651 precincts within the district had been reported to the county Board of Elections, but Abrahams’ campaign had not yet issued a statement conceding the race.

The Associated Press had declared Rice the Democratic winner around 10 p.m. Tuesday, but her campaign did not call the election until an hour later when precinct results were made public through the county Board of Elections.

Rice thanked supporters and her family for their support during her campaign, as well as McCarthy, who endorsed the district attorney in January upon her announcement to seek the nomination.

McCarthy, 70, was first elected in 1996 on the heels of a 1993 shooting on a Long Island Railroad car at the Merillon Avenue station in Garden City in which her husband was killed and son was seriously injured.

Several other state politicians and high-profile labor unions and charitable organizations also endorsed their support of Rice’s campaign, as has the state Democratic Committee chaired by Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills).

Upon announcing her candidacy, Rice resigned as co-chair of the Moreland Commission, a state panel that investigates public corruption. 

Weeks before Rice’s announcement, McCarthy said she would retire at the conclusion of her ninth term in office. In February, she returned to Washington after undergoing chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer.

“She’s been an incredible friend and mentor and I would be proud to follow her footsteps in Washington,” Rice said Tuesday.

Blakeman, who served as the Legislature’s presiding officer from 1996-99, received the endorsements of the county Republican, Conservative and Independence parties, while Scaturro, 41, emphasized his standing outside the formal GOP structure during his campaign.

Efforts to reach Scaturro following the primary on Wednesday morning were unavailing.

In 2012, Scaturro narrowly beat Republican candidate Francis Becker, among primary voters on the Conservative line. McCarthy defeated Becker and Scaturro in the general election.

Blakeman said he is running for Congress because “this is the first generation of Americans that is slated to do worse than their parents.”

“All of us have a story to tell. All of us are here because of our parents and grandparents,” he said. “The bottom line is everybody came to America because this is the land of opportunity. Our parents and grandparents came here to find a better life.”

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