Although Democrats have managed to win two state Senate seats on Long Island in recent years, they still need more to win at least one more seat in the chamber in order to control it.
After vowing to help in previous years, only to come up short, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed a pledge, along with the rest of Long Island's Democratic candidates for state Senate, vowing to fight for gun control, better education funding, and infrastructure improvements.
"So now we get a new election and you get to make a new choice, and this choice is going to be to reject the choice we made when we elected Donald Trump as president of the United States," Cuomo said at the rally.
Monica Martinez is running for an open Senate seat being vacated by a Republican. She currently serves in the Suffolk County legislature.
"New York state really is a beacon of hope, an opportunity for our nation," the Democrat said. "But we need to keep the momentum going. And to do that, we need to elect a Democratic state Senate."
Todd Kaminsky is one of the bright spots for Democrats in Long Island. He won the state Senate seat vacated by former Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who was convicted of corruption.
"With investments in education and transportation, with making sure that Long Island has a prosperous economy and a great future," Kaminsky said. "The motto of New York is Excelsior, and with Andrew Cuomo we are going to continue to go ever higher."
Senate Republicans dismissed the Democratic pledge as a "farce." They said Cuomo's own administration has already vowed to take money away from Long Island schools and give it to New York City.
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