Coalition of unions endorses Kaplan or 7th Senate District

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Coalition of unions endorses Kaplan or 7th Senate District
State Sen. Anna Kaplan raised more than $205,000 in the most recent campaign finance filing period. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)

State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) has been endorsed by 11 different unions ahead of the Aug. 23 primary for New York’s 7th Senate District. 

The Long Island Federation of Labor, New York State AFL-CIO, 1199 Service Employees International Union, American Postal Workers Union, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Communications Workers of America District 1, New York State Nurses Association, New York State United Teachers, Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union Local 338, SMART Local 28 Sheet Metal Workers and the Council of School Administrators have backed Kaplan in her re-election bid.

The coalition of unions represents over 1.4 million union members across the state, according to Kaplan’s campaign.

Kaplan is running against former state Sen. Jack Martins. 

“We are confident that Sen. Anna Kaplan shares the Long Island union movement’s vision for the future of Long Island,” John Durso, president of the Long Island Federation of Labor, said in a statement. “Good jobs, with decent pay and benefits, are the basis of a stable, middle-class lifestyle. We look forward to working with Sen. Kaplan to continue building opportunities for the next generation of Long Islanders who will live in safe, prosperous communities.”

Kaplan said she will continue fighting for organized labor as long as she is in office. 

“As state senator, I’ve fought hard for unions and working families, and as long as I have the privilege of representing this community in the Senate, I will continue fighting for organized labor and the millions of union families across the state,” Kaplan said in a statement. “I’m honored to have the support of this important coalition of labor unions representing over a million New Yorkers, and I look forward to our continued partnership on behalf of working families.”

Kaplan was elected to serve the Town of North Hempstead’s 4th District as a councilwoman in 2011.  In 2016, she sought election to the House of Representatives but lost to current Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) in the Democratic primary.  Kaplan defeated former Flower Hill Mayor Elaine Phillips in 2018 to represent the 7th Senate District.

Martins, an Old Westbury resident who represented the 7th District from 2011 to 2016, announced his campaign in late March.

Kaplan announced last week she has more than $504,000 cash on hand during the most recent campaign filing period.

Kaplan said she has raised more than $205,000 during the filing period from Jan. 15 – July 11. 

Martins had $41,000 cash in his war chest, according to filing reports.

A former Mineola mayor from 2003-2010, Martins restructured the village’s finances, debt and property tax assessment system, and improved government transparency by broadcasting meetings on TV and publishing information online. In 2008, Martins ran an unsuccessful congressional campaign against former U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy before defeating incumbent 7th District Senator and Democrat Craig Johnson in 2010.

The race against Johnson was one that did not get resolved until early December due to Johnson demanding a recount of the votes, ultimately having his appeal denied by the state’s Court of Appeals.

After another failed attempt to get into Congress in 2016 when he lost to Suozzi, Martins shifted his focus to becoming Nassau County’s new county executive after former County Executive Edward Mangano was indicted on federal corruption charges.

Martins ultimately lost that race to Democrat Laura Curran, who served as county executive before being defeated by Republican Bruce Blakeman this past fall.

The 7th Senate district includes Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Williston Park, Mineola, Garden City Park, North Hills, Albertson, Old Westbury, East Hills, Roslyn, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Estates, Albertson, Searingtown, Lake Success, Manhasset, Munsey Park, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, and the Great Neck and Port Washington peninsulas.

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