Kaplan, Martinez win state senate primary races

ALBANY — State Sen. Anna Kaplan turned back a challenge by Democratic Socialist Jeremy Joseph in the 7th Senate District in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, while former Sen. Monica Martinez beat Assmb. Phil Ramos for the Democratic nomination to represent the 4th District, according to unofficial results.

In the 7th Senate District, Kaplan led Joseph by 79% to 13% with 243 of 286 election sites reporting.

In the 4th Senate District, Martinez led Ramos by 65% to 34% with 198 of 202 sites reporting. The district will be Long Island’s first Latino-plurality Senate district.

These and 20 other Democratic and Republican statewide primaries on Tuesday won’t change the makeup of the Senate, where Democrats have a 42-20 majority. That composition could happen in November’s general election. Instead, Tuesday’s primaries often pit more liberal candidates against establishment-backed candidates in the Democratic primaries and more conservative candidates against establishment-backed candidates in the Republican primaries.

In Long Island’s 7th Senate District, Kaplan (D-North Hills), 56, was seeking the Democratic Party nomination for a third term against Joseph, 37, of Hicksville, who is a computational scientist. He was a member of the steering committee of Long Island United to Transform Policing and Community Safety that advised on changing practices in the Nassau County Police Department.

The race during the primary campaign centered around who had the best chance of keeping the seat in Democratic hands in November’s general election. Kaplan noted that she’s won in districts with large Republican enrollments. That could be important in the 7th Senate District, where Democrats have just a 98,880 to 70,465 voter advantage. Another 72,697 voters aren’t enrolled in any party, and those often more moderate voters could determine the winner in November.

The Republican candidate will be Jack Martins  a well-known former state senator who represented the area from 2010-16.

The current 7th Senate District runs from Islandia to Amityville in Nassau County.

Kaplan emphasized her record of supporting women’s reproductive rights, including abortion, improving public safety and fighting the rise in hate groups and extremism, including those targeting Jewish and Muslim communities. She co-sponsored the state’s ban on “ghost guns,” which are untraceable firearms used in crimes.

In contrast, Joseph ran to the left of Kaplan as part of a progressive tide within the Democratic Party that seeks to move the course of the Senate further to the left.

He was a field organizer for Invest in Our New York, which sought to raise state tax revenue by ending tax breaks for the wealthiest New Yorkers. He said he would focus on combating economic inequality, work to further develop renewable energy as an alternative to fossil fuels that contribute to global warming, and seek universal health care and child care.

The district includes Sea Cliff, Glen Cove, Muttontown, Jericho, Brookville, Old Westbury, Syosset and Woodbury.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary between Ramos and Martinez in the newly drawn 4th Senate District includes a historic milestone. Latinos account for 43% of the population, which makes it Long Island’s first Latino plurality State Senate district.

Ramos, 66, had stressed his 20 years in the Assembly as proof he can bring back grants and other funding and services to his constituents. Those past wins included funds to build a skate park at Roberto Clemente Park and supporting laws aimed at ridding illegal guns from the streets while securing tax cuts for the middle class.

Martinez, 45, sought to return to the Senate after her 2020 loss to State Sen. Alexis Weik in the then-3rd District. She had several bills passed into law in her term, including one that requires large group insurance companies to cover mammograms for women 35 to 39 years old and another to create a misdemeanor for revenge porn, which is often committed by men harassing former girlfriends. She is a former assistant principal at East Middle School in Brentwood and said she can provide an important and effective perspective in making schools safe from mass shootings.