EMILY’s List, the national Democratic fundraising group that supports women for public office, endorsed Nassau County Legislator Laura Curran (D-Baldwin) for county executive on Sunday.
The endorsement brings a nationally influential group into the local Democrats’ campaign to retake control of the county government following a spate of corruption scandals, many of them involving Republicans.
“EMILY’s List is proud to stand with Laura Curran and endorse her candidacy as she strives to shatter Nassau’s highest glass ceiling and become its first-ever female County Executive,” Geri Prado, the senior director of state and local campaigns for EMILY’s List, said in a statement.
The Washington-based group, which backs women who support abortion rights running as Democrats, has said it raised more than $90 million for its candidates in the 2016 election cycle.
The group also backed Christine Pellegrino, the Democratic candidate who took the 9th Assembly District on the South Shore of Long Island in a special election last week. Pellegrino won by 16 percentage points in a majority Republican district that President Donald Trump won in November’s election.
Curran is running a Democratic primary against George Maragos, the sitting county comptroller.
The winner will likely face former state Sen. Jack Martins, whom Republicans have nominated to replace current County Executive Edward Mangano, a Republican who has pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges.
