By Kelsey Durham
Two Republican candidates are looking to square off against U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Melville) this year in the race for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
Grant Lally and Stephen Labate each filed petitions this month to run on the Republican ticket in hopes of ousting Israel from his seat. Israel, who has been a member of Congress since 2001, currently represents a unique district that is made up mostly of towns in Nassau County but also stretches to the northeast Queens neighborhoods of Little Neck, Bayside and Whitestone.
Israel, the lone Democratic candidate, is known for being an advocate for veterans’ rights and services and also focuses much of his work toward helping middle-class families. He is currently a member of the House of Representatives Leadership Committee and serves as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Lally, also running on the Conservative ticket, is a commercial lawyer who has lived in Huntington, L.I., for the past two years, spending 30 years before that in Oyster Bay.
His experience in politics ranges from involvement in civic groups to a former congressional run 18 years ago, and Lally said he was also the only attorney to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to defeat President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Lally said his motivation to run was sparked by belief that the U.S. economy has been hindered by current policies and regulations. He said his top priorities are to lower taxes and rework foreign policy into one that has America’s best interests in mind.
The second Republican candidate, Labate, is a South Ozone Park native with a military background that he believes will propel him to succeed if elected to office.
He is a graduate of St. John’s University, where he first joined the U.S. Army Reserve, and was called to active duty three times after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, before being promoted to his current rank of lieutenant colonel in 2009.
In a biography posted on his campaign Web page, Labate said he feels a change in leadership is needed and said he will carry his patriotism to Washington to help the country if he were to be elected.
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
