Lally beats Labate in GOP 3rd CD Race

Anthony Oreilly

Grant Lally will be the lone challenger to Rep. Steve Israel’s (D-Huntington) 3rd congressional seat in the November midterm elections after defeating Stephen Labate by 110 votes in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

“It is now time for the Republican party to unify, and with the support I have received from the Conservative, Libertarian and Tea parties, together we will defeat Steve Israel and Barack Obama this fall,” Lally said early Wednesday morning.

At press time, Lally held a 3,195 to 3,085 advantage over Labate, according to the Queens, Nassau and Suffolk board of elections websites.

Lally won Suffolk County by 1,198 to 956 and Queens by 338 to 323. Labate won Nassau County by 1,806 to 1,659.

The general election for the 3rd congressional district seat will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. 

The 3rd congressional district consists of the communities of Little Neck, Douglaston, Whitestone, Bay Terrace, all of Great Neck, Roslyn, Manhasset, Port Washington, Glen Cove, Hicksville, Plainview, Syosset, Jericho, Huntington, Dix Hills and parts of New Hyde Park, Williston Park and Smithtown.

Lally thanked his staff and supporters at Rangmahal, an Indian restaurant located at 355 South Broadway in Hicksville.

“It’s been a tremendous campaign,” Lally said. “We’ve all worked very hard.”

Lally said “the point of this race is to not allow Barack Obama to abuse the powers of his office and abuse this country.” 

Labate, a Deer Park resident, had not officially conceded as of press time. 

An e-mail from Labate’s campaign said it is “awaiting the complete count of all ballots before making a statement on the outcome of yesterday’s primary election in New York’s third congressional district.”

Labate, a member of the U.S. military who had served three tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, unsuccessfully ran against Israel in the 2012 congressional election. 

In an interview with Blank Slate Media last week, Labate said he would work to lower taxes and repeal the Affordable Care Act if elected to Congress.

Labate also said he believed Lally was “unelectable” against Israel.  

Labate said that Israel would have a “field day” with advertisements targeting Lally for being fined $280,000 by the Federal Elections Commission for accepting illegal campaign contributions. Labate also said Israel would target Lally’s past of defending “corrupt” Republican politicians in court. 

“Israel would have a TV commercial on every 10 minutes,” Labate said. “His past is just so target rich.”

Lally, a Huntington resident, said on Tuesday his primary opponent “ran an exclusively negative campaign” and that Labate has made “wild accusations.”  

“But that’s politics,” Lally said.

November will be Lally’s first political race in 18 years.

In 1994 and 1996, Lally challenged then-Congressman Gary Ackerman for the third congressional district seat.

He said he believes the 3rd congressional district is “ready for a Republican congressman.”

“Steve Israel used to represent a much more Democratic district before redistricting,” Lally said. “This is a new district and I think he’s very out of step with the people.”

Israel had previously represented the 2nd congressional district, which encompassed all of Suffolk County and portions of eastern Nassau County. Israel won the 3rd congressional district seat in November 2012, after redistricting. 

Lally,who works as an attorney for Lally & Misir law firm in Mineola, worked for former President George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign as the National Chairman of Irish Americans and worked as a floor manager during the Florida recount vote.

He was also the vice chairman of Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) New York State campaign during McCain’s run for president in 2008.

“I’ve been civically engaged my whole adult life,” Lally said.

Lally, who announced his intention to run for Congress in February, has run on a platform of repealing the Affordable Care Act. 

“I think people are overwhelmingly against Obamacare,” Lally said on Tuesday.

Lally said, if elected, he would address “discrete problems” in the health-care industry, such as creating more jobs for doctors and nurses and creating more competition in the health-care industry. 

He also said he would address issues of national security, such as the war in Iraq and the struggle in Syria.

“I take foreign policy very seriously,” Lally said. 

Lally is the co-owner of Newswire Publications, which publishes Homeland Security Newswire, a daily publication that focuses on national security issues.

He said he believes the Obama administration has had “poor policies” on foreign policies, saying he did not agree with the president’s decision to send 300 Americans back into Iraq. 

“[Obama] put 300 American lives in danger for no good reason,” Lally said.

Lally also said he believes America should not intervene in Syria, a place he said “America has no interests in.” 

Lally did credit Republican and Democratic lawmakers from keeping America safe from “domestic terror threats.”

Lally also said he was trying to create an “inclusive Republican party.” 

He said he held his primary watch party at Rangmahal in an effort to reach out to the Southeast Asian community and because his wife, Deborah Misir, is Indian-American. 

Lally said he was working on reaching out to “every community” and touted his ability to speak in Spanish.

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