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Several prominent local names may be on the list of candidates to run for Congress Kathleen Rice By Brian Racow bracow@Iiherald.coin The race for New York's 4th Congressional District seat will be unlike races this year in most congressional districts around the coun- try. That is, there is no surefire winner, and as things stand currently, the field is wide open to candidates from both major parities. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), who was first elected to Congress in 1996, recently announced that she would not seek re-election this November, citing her health as a main reason for her retirement. McCarthy disclosed a lung cancer diagnosis in June last year. So far, two Republicans have publicly announced that they, will seek their party's nomination to her seat: David Silverstein, a ' businessman from Merrick, and Frank Scaturro, an attorney from New Hyde Park. But several Nassau County politicos who enjoy much wider name recognition are being discussed in political circles in Nassau, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere as potential successors to McCarthy, and some of them have indicated they are considering run for the seat. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee polled likely Democratic primary voters in the 4th District to gauge the popular- ity of several potential Democratic candi- dates, according to sources familiar with the poll. Kathleen Rice, district attorney of Nassau County, led the poll with 46 percent of favorable responses. Dave Denenberg, a Nassau County legislator from Merrick, ; placed second in the poll at 21 percent; • Kevan Abrahams, minority leader of the ; County Legislature, of Freeport, placed third at 10 percent, and 20 percent of respondents . were undecided. •; Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington), chair- man of the DCCC, did not return a call for : comment. Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee; said • he has spoken with several potential candi- dates and that the county's Democratic lead- ; ership would work with the DCCC to solidi- fy support behind one candidate in the com- ing weeks and months. Village of Malveme Mayor Patricia McDonald (D) said she met with Israel last week in Washington. McCarthy and McDonald were both wives of gun-violence victims — McCarthy's husband, Dennis, was Dave Denenberg Fran Becker shot to death by Colin Ferguson in the LERR massacre, and McDonald's husband, Steven, a former NYPD officer, was shot three times while on duty in 1986 in Central Park, leav- ing him paralyzed. In 1993, McCarthy and McDonald helped to launch New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, a non-profit that aims to strengthen and ensure enforcement of gun , safety laws statewide. \I have the utmost respect for Carolyn and what she's done for serving in government all these years,\ McDonald said. \I respect what she did for-New York and Nassau County.\ McDonald stressed that she has not so far made plans to run for Congress, but said she has much she is considering currently about how she could best serve the public. In a statement, Rice spokesman Eric Phillips said Rice is taking \a hard look at the race and will decide in the near future whether or not she believes she can better serve the public in the district attorney's office,, or fighting for the district in Congress.\ Denenberg said at a civic meeting last week in North Merrick, in response to an audience member's question, that he would likely run for either Congress or state Seriate. The Senate's 8th District seat is cur- rently vacant, after former Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) retired from office at the end of last year. Abrahams spokesman Jeff Guillot said Abrahams is \actively consulting with friends and advisors and he continues to explore the opportunity in earnest.\ Ian Prior, the northeastern regional press Kevan Abrahams Patricia McDonald Kate Murray secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, and Anthony Santino, a Town of Hempstead councilman and spokesman for the Nassau County Republican Committee, both declined to dis- cuss specific potential Republican candi- dates, but they asserted that the party has many strong possible candidates and has an excellent chance of capturing the seat from Democratic control. Francis Becker, a Republican Nassau County legislator from Lynbrook who ran against McCarthy and lost in 2010 and 2012, said he is \very interested in running again.\ Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray has also had her name mentioned as a prospect to succeed McCarthy in the media and elsewhere. Hempstead officials did not return calls for comment. Candidates can begin collecting signatures on ballot petitions-in March, and party pri- maries will take place in June. Democrats have a slight enrollment advantage in the 4th District, and McCarthy won .election nine times, but Republicans held the seat for decades before McCarthy, and many are pre- dicting that Democrats will lose ground in the House of Representatives, where they are already the minority, in 2014. Prior, Silverstein and Scaturro all predicted that backlash to President Obama's performance, including his signature healthcare law, would hurt Democrats and favor Republicans in November's election. The president's party often loses congressional seats in midterm elections. As this race is likely to draw political dona- Frank Scutarro tions from beyond the district, a key factor in who becomes their party's nominee will be candidates' fundraising abilities. Phillips said Rice would be the Democratic Party's most viable candidate, if she decides to run. \There's no doubt that she has the most experience, the highest approval rating, and the most extensive financial supporter network of anyone who may be in the field,\ he wrote in an email. \If her decision is to run, we'd be extremely confident in both a primary and a general election.\ Becker said he has already begun the \pre- liminary work\ of \reaching out to people to see if I can get the financial support.\ Denenberg said he is considering multiple factors as he mulls a run for Congress or state Senate. \I'm looking at where I can better serve my constituents and the constituents of these larger districts and make a greater posi- tive difference, whether it's Albany or Washington at this point,\ Denenberg said. \Can I raise enough money to run a winning campaign? All of those are things that I would consider.\ The Merrick legislator also took a positive view of his performance in the DCCC's poll. \Considering I'm a legislator that repre- sented and represent about a seventh of [McCarthy's] district, getting 21 percent of the vote in a poll I think was very encourag- ing, particularly when the poll was really about Rice and Abrahams,\ Denenberg said. Mary Malloy and Emily Webb contributed reporting.
