Democratic congressional candidates introduce themselves to voters

With five months to go until primary day in late June, three Democratic congressional candidates introduced themselves and outlined their stances on pressing issues to a packed house of voters at a forum hosted by Together Long Island at the Sayville Congregational Church on Jan. 31.

In the NY-02 Congressional District, three candidates are running: deputy chair of the Islip Democrats Garrett Petersen, real estate professional Jessica Murphy, and former Suffolk County executive Pat Halpin. The winner of the Democratic primary will likely face incumbent Republican congressman Andrew Garbarino in November.

Heading into February, each campaign is preparing to bolster volunteer, financial, and organizing support as petitioning season starts.

And with the recent deaths of protestors in Minneapolis following increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across the country, the candidates, event organizers, and attendees all said they were energized to publicly and safely advocate for their beliefs.

“People are engaged, people are angry,” Petersen said at the event.

A native of Islip Town, Petersen said he’s running for office because he isn’t sure if his two children can afford to live on Long Island given the current cost-of-living crisis.

“I don’t think I could buy my house now- and that’s now,” Petersen said. “So let’s extrapolate that 10 to 15 years from now, when my son’s out on his own working a job, how is he going to be able to afford to live here?”

Petersen describes himself as “unapologetically progressive” and says he wants to see policy issues such as universal health care, Medicare for all, and universal childcare placed under the umbrella of a 21st-century “New Deal.”

Petersen added that if these goals don’t materialize if he’s elected to Congress, he would at least want to bring back the Affordable Care Act’s public option.

Regarding potential ICE reforms and immigration issues, Petersen said that the Department of Homeland Security is not needed, and that sections of the department “that are useful,” like the Coast Guard, should stay and that there should be a new “civilian-run” immigration service.

“We need to take an objective look at how complicated, how Byzantine our immigration system is, and clear out the dead weight,” Petersen said. “If you want to be an American citizen, we should make that happen. We should run a cursory background check, make sure you’re up to date on your vaccinations, and then give you a green card. And then if you’re still here, and you’re still doing all the things you’re supposed to do, after a year or two, all right, you want to become a permanent resident, excellent.”

“A year or two after that, you’re still doing everything you’re supposed to do, here’s your citizenship. Congratulations,” Petersen added.

Petersen’s loudly and quickly worded responses prompted applause from many in the crowd throughout his remarks.

Murphy, a real estate professional from Amityville, recently launched her congressional campaign, and said she is running because “we need to get Andrew Garbarino out, and we need a strong candidate who’s going to be able to win in November.”

Professionally, Murphy is a portfolio manager for a New York-based real estate and management firm, which specializes in “acquiring, developing, and managing multifamily assets.”

Pitching herself to the crowd, Murphy said voters have three options of candidates: the organizer in Petersen, the traditional candidate in Halpin, or herself, their third option that isn’t either of those.

“I am your fellow neighbor, I’m your friend, I’m your sister, I’m your daughter, and I’m a hardworking New Yorker, just like all of you,” Murphy said. “And I’m ready to put in the work that you all really deserve.”

Regarding immigration enforcement, Murphy said she supports abolishing ICE because “it has gone too far,” and there are no checks and balances for managing the agency, leaving communities in danger.

Regarding the economy and affordability crisis, Murphy said she would draw on her housing experience if elected to Congress, noting that her company has created “large developments” with mixed-use, affordable, and workforce housing.

Murphy also said she’d work to bring federal funding to improve infrastructure, such as sewer and water systems, alongside building these developments. She also added that she would like to cap utility rates and look into regulations for overcharging.

The final candidate to speak was former Suffolk County executive Halpin, who hasn’t been in elected office since 1991. After leaving the executive position, Halpin has worked on the Suffolk County Water Authority board, serving as its chair in the late 2010s.

Getting onstage, Halpin denounced the shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Halpin called “That big, ugly, nasty, horrific bill,” and called congressman Garbarino the “biggest do-nothing, say-nothing.”

Halpin also said Garbarino should have held an emergency hearing in his position as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee regarding immigration enforcement, but that the shooting of Good “would not happen here in Suffolk County or Nassau County or the NYPD, because our cops are well trained.”

Halpin added that police on Long Island and New York City “weren’t being hired off the streets, including a $50,000 bonus.”

Halpin also denounced the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, saying that he was exercising his First and Second Amendment rights.

“And he was licensed to carry that gun. Instead, two people put 10 bullets in him,” Halpin said.

An audience member then shouted from the back, “What does this have to do with you running for [Congress?]”

Halpin responded, saying he wants to hold Donald Trump accountable, “get rid of the cruelty,” and “fix the damage” from the Big, Beautiful, Bill. On health care, Halpin said he supports Medicare for all and protecting access to abortion.

“We spend more on health care here in America than any industrialized nation in the world, and we’re getting ripped off,” Halpin said.

When asked his thoughts on gender-affirming care, Halpin asked, “What does that mean?”

Gender-affirming care is a patient-centered approach to health care for transgender and nonbinary people.

“There’s only one sex that can have a baby; I’m kind of a traditionalist,” Halpin said. “But you know what, I’m all about love… I’ve always loved and respected everybody.”

Among members of the standing-room-only crowd were voters who often volunteer, some of whom were eager to learn about each candidate before potentially working with them.

Robert Banks, an attendee from Amityville, said he felt younger candidates might be able to drive traditionally low-turnout youth vote to swing the race.

“I’m impressed with all three of them,” Banks said. “I think the younger candidates probably are going to be more electable in November in this district… It’s all about getting our voice out there, being heard, and us getting the vote out.”