ROP

Tuman wants to improve local brand of GOP in congressional race

Robert Pelaez
Douglas Tuman is running against U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice in the state's 4th Congressional District election. (Photo courtesy of Douglas Tuman)

Doug Tuman said the way President Donald Trump has shifted the ideology and values of the Republican Party over the past four years was one reason he is running for Congress on the GOP ticket.

“One of the first reasons I wanted to run before COVID started was to improve the brand of the local Republican Party as it is not being reflected in the best light,” Tuman said. “It has a lot to do with Trump and how he is being perceived. I would’ve liked to see him unite us all more.”

Tuman praised Trump’s initial decisions on cutting off international transportation and quickly reacting to the coronavirus pandemic.  Tuman, who said he had the virus in March, said he understood Trump’s point of preserving individual liberties, but acknowledged that the President did not make the point in necessarily the “best way.”

“I do think [Trump] could have maybe led by example better and mask up more in public,” Tuman said. “I think that’s the point he’s trying to make. Allowing people to make and live with their own decisions. At the end of the day, the virus is something we will probably all be living with, like the flu.”

Tuman is the engineering commissioner for the Town of Hempstead and hosts a YouTube channel discussing cryptocurrency. He is running against incumbent Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) in the 4th Congressional District.

The district comprises central and southern Nassau County, including Floral Park, Garden City, Hempstead, Mineola, Carle Place, New Hyde Park and Westbury.

Tuman said some form of second federal funding should be passed as soon as possible, siding with Rice in the “something is better than nothing” viewpoint.  Tuman said the priority for the federal government is to conduct bipartisan conversations and get federal dollars into the hands of people who have been impacted the most by the pandemic.

Tuman said he believes racism is still “very real in the country and in Nassau County” and supported the Black Lives Matter movement for magnifying that problem on a local level in ongoing efforts to dispel it.  However, Tuman said, some of the group’s ideology can be interpreted as “very left-winged extremist,” referring to some calling to defund the police.

“We need to get the police better integrated into these communities so there’s no fear on either side,” Tuman said.

Tuman said he believes he would be more attuned to his constituents than Rice is if elected.

 “I don’t think she’s in the community very much,” Tuman said. “She’s in Washington, and not really in her district anymore. I would be in my district, and then going to Washington to represent my people.”

Since Tuman is the commissioner of engineering for the Town of Hempstead, which comprises much of the district, he is highly familiar with the communities that he would be representing, he said.

In particular, he emphasized that he is familiar with the infrastructure of the communities, which he believes needs improvement. If elected, he would push to fortify the south shore by implementing measures such as installing floodgates. Such initiatives would save the district billions of dollars in potential damage from storms, he said.

Tuman stressed his belief that a member of Congress should act on behalf of constituents.

“At the end of the day, what really separates me is first and foremost what a congressperson is supposed to do is advocate for their people, and I think we’ve lost sight of that,” he said.

If elected, he plans to implement a text-based polling system.

“A core pillar of my platform is to improve representative democracy in America, and I want to do that right here with this district first,” Tuman said.

He explained that he would poll his constituents via text about issues that affect the district, and would use that to determine how to legislate in Congress. Tuman is implementing a text-based system with his campaign to demonstrate how it works, and would continue to use this system if elected, he said.

Tuman pointed to his campaign slogan, “Build a Brighter Future Together,” to explain why he believes voters should choose him.

“I won’t bring biases or favor any groups when considering an issue,” he said. “I will simply look to solve the problem that our community collectively cares most about. I will also make sure all people are heard so that minority opinions in our communities are given a voice too. Additionally, I will bring people together by focusing on what unites us as opposed to what divides us.”

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