U.S. Rep. Steve Israel endorsed Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern on Monday in the race for his North Shore congressional seat, ending months of anticipation about whom he would back as his successor.
In a news conference at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington, the prominent Huntington Democrat said Stern has shown a “studious and workhorse approach” to lawmaking in the two decades they have known each other.
“It’s not just the fact that we share a first name that brought me to support Steve Stern,” Israel said. “It’s that I do believe that he is just a great fit in terms of my own priorities, my own values and my own approach in representing the district.”
Israel said he has worked more closely with the Dix Hills legislator than the four other Democrats running in the Third Congressional District and has seen his dedication to key Long Island issues, such as supporting veterans and protecting the Long Island Sound.
Stern’s progressive credentials and his record of protecting taxpayer money equip him best for the June 28 primary and the likely general election against Republican state Sen. Jack Martins in a district that’s “far from a slam dunk” for Democrats, Israel said.
Other Democratic candidates include Levittown attorney Jonathan Clarke, former North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, town Councilwoman Anna Kaplan and former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.
Stern’s ability to build an effective campaign and raise money in the first three months of the race also impressed Israel, he said.
“I’m running for Congress because I am exactly the kind of leader that can continue Steve Israel’s legacy and continue to build a new vision on a record that I’m very proud of,” Stern said.
Several of Israel’s former campaign staff, including campaign manager Isaac Goldberg, joined Stern’s campaign in the early stages of the race after Israel announced in January he would not seek re-election.
Israel’s endorsement gives Stern a boost after raising $500,000 in the first quarter — including his and his family’s money — and getting endorsements last week from Port Washington politicos Martin and Laurie Scheinman.
Israel said he told Stern he would back him two weeks ago at the Sweet Hollow Diner in Melville after declining to make an early endorsement out of fairness to the other candidates. He said Stern was on an early list of potential successors that also included North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth, who declined to run in January.
Israel said he has known Stern since he was a Huntington town councilman before being elected to Congress and watched Stern coach Little League. They since have worked together on local issues since Stern got into the Suffolk Legislature in 2006, Stern said.
Israel pledged to do “whatever Steve Stern asks me to do that is legal,” and said to anticipate a TV ad featuring him and Stern.
Israel said Stern’s funding, record and his personal approach to campaigning will help him overcome his lower name recognition relative to better known candidates, such as Kaiman and Suozzi.
“Name recognition in this environment ain’t what it used to be,” he said.
Asked for comment on Israel’s endorsement, Suozzi’s campaign manager Michael Florio said, “Voters are looking for a leader like Tom Suozzi who has a track record of standing up to powerful interests to get things done for people.”
Kaiman looks forward to working with Israel “once we win the primary and we are all on the same side again,” campaign manager Jeff Guillot said in a statement, also citing the campaign’s support from former U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman.
While Kaplan has appeared publicly with Israel several times, campaign manager Reginald Johnson said it is “completely understandable that he would support a fellow Huntington politician” and that Kaplan will continue to focus on “laying out her vision on how to make the district a more affordable place to live, raise a family and retire.”
Clarke said he found Israel’s endorsement “very, very unfortunate” because he’s supporting a candidate who does not support meaningful campaign finance reform despite saying he’s tired of the congressional fundraising cycle.
“I just think that it’s very disingenuous and really shows the true colors of Steve Israel,” Clarke said.
Martins campaign strategist E. O’Brien Murray said he thinks Israel’s endorsement will hurt Stern by linking him with “Nancy Pelosi, Obamacare, higher taxes, out of control spending and partisan gridlock,” adding that Martins has support from Republicans, Democrats and independents.
“Steve Israel will help Steve Stern the same way Steve Israel’s support of other Democrats gave Republicans the largest majority since the 1920s,” Murray said in an email.
Also in the Third District, the National Republican Congressional Committee named Martins one of 11 nationwide “contenders” in its “Young Guns” program for up-and-coming candidates.
Martins has backing from the Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Republican committees but faces a possible primary challenge from Glen Cove financial investigator Philip Pidot.
