NY Primary Election 2020: Perry Gershon Eyes Zeldin's Seat
EAST HAMPTON, NY — Voters on Long Island will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots for state and federal offices in New York's primary election. That includes the 1st Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin will defend his seat against challengers and Democrats Perry Gershon, Bridget Fleming, Gregory-John Fischer, and Nancy Goroff.
The election is slated for Tuesday, June 23. Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's order, all registered voters in the state must receive a mail-in ballot application to apply for a postage-paid absentee ballot amid the coronavirus. All ballots postmarked by June 23 will be counted.
Perry Gershon, a businessman, also faced off against Zeldin in 2018.
The 1st Congressional District includes most of central and eastern Suffolk County, including the East End, Brookhaven Town, and most of Smithtown. View the district map here.
Patch has reached out to all the candidates in the primary election. Here are their responses:
Perry Gershon
Age as of Election Day (Nov. 3)
57
Town of residence
East Hampton
Position Sought
U.S. Congress
Party Affiliation
Democrat
Family
Spouse: Lisa Gershon. Children: Marshall and Logan
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
My son Logan is my field director, but otherwise, no.
Education
Undergraduate Yale, MBA U.C. Berkeley
Occupation
After I graduated college in 1984, I founded one of New York’s first sports bars for fellow Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Islanders fans (and occasional Yankees, Giants, and Rangers fans) and followed with a 25-year career as a lender in commercial real estate.
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office
None
Campaign website
Why are you seeking elective office?
Congressman Lee Zeldin has to be voted out this November. Zeldin is Trump’s staunchest cheerleader in Congress and one of his biggest enablers. The Zeldin/Trump agenda is against healthcare in the time of COVID-19, is against environmental regulations when we know that climate change is real, and is against reform at a time when as a country we are uniting around racial justice. If the coronavirus has taught us anything, it's that leadership in government matters. Long Island deserves better.
The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
We are at a turning point as a nation, to better ourselves and our future, in the fight for racial justice and equity. As an ally and advocate, I have been showing up in solidarity at Black Lives Matter demonstrations all over Long Island. These peaceful protests are just the beginning. In Congress, I will fight for reformative legislation like the 2020 Justice in Policing Act, to ban choke holds, increase transparency in policing, and end police brutality.
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
We need a progressive champion to take Lee Zeldin to task in November. I have the only endorsement in this primary from an environmental organization, the Long Island Environmental Voters Forum, I have the endorsement of unions representing nurses and essential workers, and I have 25 years of experience in business. Most importantly, I'm tough enough to beat Lee Zeldin, and hold Donald Trump accountable.
If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency).
Lee Zeldin always votes for what Donald Trump wants, never for what Long Islanders need. He voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he voted against getting rid of the SALT cap, and he voted against our environment, voting to strip the EPA, and voting against America's participation in the Paris Climate Agreement. He doesn't represent Suffolk County, he represents Trump and his friends in Washington.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.
In Congress I will fight to make healthcare truly affordable and lower prescription drug prices, increase testing for the coronavirus, and repeal the SALT cap. I will also vote to protect our environment, protect workers, and reform campaign finance laws, including overturning Citizens United.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
As we re-open the economy in the wake of the coronavirus, we need someone to represent Long Island who understands what it's like to be a small business owner. I have been a businessman for over 25 years, starting off at the age of 23, opening one of the first sports bars in New York.
The best advice ever shared with me was:
To leave medical school and stop following the life other designed for me and instead to follow my own passions to the best of my ability. I received that advice from friends in the mid 1980s and it remains my guiding mantra today.
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I am a father, a husband, and a die hard Mets fan. I never thought I would get into politics until Donald Trump was elected to office. But the stakes are too high to stand by and not take action. I hope to earn your vote on June 23.
This article originally appeared on the East Hampton Patch
