Malverne Mayor Keith Corbett says he is running for the 4th Congressional Democratic primary because he is tired of the status quo.

“Washington is not working the way it’s supposed to, we’re losing that dream that is democracy and it’s too partisan,” Corbett said in an interview with Blank Slate Media. “We need to show our children and grandchildren what democracy looks like.”

Corbett is facing former Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen, Muzibul Huq and Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, Aug. 23. 

Tuesday’s winner will face Republican candidate and Hempstead Councilman Anthony D’Esposito in the district’s general election in November. 

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) announced in February that she would not seek re-election this year. Rice, who was first elected to Congress in 2014 and is in the midst of her fourth term, said that elected officials “must give all we have and then know when it is time to allow others to serve.”

Corbett, who calls himself a centrist and true Democrat, says his party’s policies provide for a vast majority of the country but can improve on branding and messaging. Corbett specifically alluded to elected officials that refer to themselves as socialists or democratic socialists who taint the overall image of the party.

“The fact of the matter is a leftist policy of the Democratic party taints the Democratic brand. If they want to be socialist, they can run on the socialist platform,” Corbett said. “They can have a party again, they can put their name up there. They will never win an election, but they can’t take our party over.”

Corbett said there is a leftist contingent that supports the Gillen platform which he doesn’t believe is good for the party or CD-4. 

Corbett, 43, has been the mayor of Malverne, a Republican village, since 2019 while also practicing as an attorney for the Harris Beach law firm.

He has experience in election law, represented President Barack Obama against allegations by Donald Trump that he was not born in the United States and counseled President Joe Biden’s campaign.

On gun control, Corbett says he supports the current measures Democrats are taking but also has experience and solutions to improve policing locally.

Of the nine police departments in the district, he said, Malverne’s is the only one that gets mental health training because of a lack of funding for overtime.

Corbett says federal money and resources can be used for police overtime, and with it Corbett would have each department in Nassau put up one member to create a team that tracks down and stops illegal guns from coming in. 

Bail reform was not legislated properly and created a gray area on what is considered a violent crime, Corbett said. 

“It wasn’t done properly, you can fix it and not have crime being elevated,” Corbett said. 

Corbett’s said he has a three-part plan to support abortion rights that includes a legal challenge based on the argument that restrictions violate the 4th Amendment under the “unreasonable searches and seizures” clause. He said he is also a staunch advocate fighting for a woman’s right to choose and advocacy groups continue getting support. 

“I think we need to play the long game like Republicans and bring litigation, we need to keep supporting groups like Planned Parenthood and everything else,” Corbett said. “Republicans play a long game, we need to start playing that game and it goes back to branding and messaging.”

Additional policies Corbett supports are education as a fundamental right, universal Pre-K, six-week paid leave for parents and student loan forgiveness 

“We’re about to head into a recession, we understand the economy is hurting,” Corbett said. “You forgive $1.2 trillion of loans and you’re staving off a recession by immediately releasing it into the economy.”

Corbett said he would fight to get the John Lewis Voting Rights Act enacted and said what the Republican party is doing to voting rights across the country is similar to the Jim Crow era. 

“When Barack Obama ran for president I created and implemented the largest voter protection effort in Nassau County,” Corbett said. “I had over 300 attorneys go out to poll sites every general election day and protect the rights of voters because voter suppression does happen here.”

One week ahead of the primary, Corbett said voters worried about Democratic values should see him as the only candidate capable of keeping the seat blue based on his policies and his ability to get elected in a village with a large advantage for Republicans in registered voters. 

“I am the only candidate who wins the general election. Don’t worry about FiveThirtyEight and all these polls, Laura Gillen was ahead in the polls and she lost,” Corbett said. “I will stand up with a clear democratic message that provides for all of us. I know the players in Washington and Albany, I’m not running for them. I’m running to show my kids and grandkids what democracy looks like.”