U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Melville) announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election to Congress in November.
After 15 years representing New York’s Third District, which includes Nassau County’s North Shore, the Levittown native said in a statement he will step down in after “pursue new passions and develop new interests,” such as finishing his second novel.
“While I will miss this place and the people I have had the privilege to serve, I am looking forward to spending more time home and frequenting my beloved New York diners,” Israel said in the statement. “Simply put, it’s time to pass on the torch.”
Israel was elected to Congress in 2000, replacing Republican Rick Lazio. He served two terms heading the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and currently leads his party’s Policy and Communications Committee.
His district stretches from Whitestone, Queens, to Kings Park, extending as far south as Farmingdale.
Of his accomplishments in Congress, Israel said he is proudest of securing $8.3 million in back pay for veterans and their families.
“Additionally, I’m proud of my work to protect middle-class New Yorkers, as a product of a middle-class Long Island family myself,” he said in the statement.
As the House of Representatives’ highest-ranking Jewish Democrat, he has strongly supported the United States’ alliance with Israel.
He voted against President Barack Obama’s nuclear accord with Iran in September, after North Hempstead town officials sent a letter to Israel and other federal officials asking them to oppose the deal.
Israel has also long supported stricter gun control measures.
He called for tighter background-check procedures around gun sales at an October press conference in Great Neck, where he opened an office in 2013.
His second novel, reportedly titled “Big Guns,” is a satire of gun industry lobbying. He wrote the first 40,000 words of the book on his cell phone over six months in 2014, the New York Times has reported.
Israel’s debut novel, “The Global War on Morris,” was published in December 2014 and received strong reviews. It follows a Western Long Island salesman through his entanglement with a government surveillance supercomputer.
The novel is currently being adapted into a television series by Hollywood heavyweight Rob Reiner and Roslyn native Andrew Lenchewski, co-creator and executive producer of the USA series “Royal Pains.”
In his statement, Israel said he will be a “team player” in making sure the Democratic Party keeps his Congressional seat.
A Democratic Party source said Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck) has been “mentioned in a number of circles” as a candidate to succeed Israel.
Democrats have also named Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) and state Assemblyman Charles Levine (D-Glen Cove) as possible replacements, according to a Newsday report.
In a statement, Lavine said he is “focused on continuing to work hard for the people of the 13th Assembly District, just as I have done for the last 11 years.”
He also commended Israel for his “tireless service to his district, the residents of Long Island and the country.”
