State Sen. Jack Martins defeated Kim Keiserman 52%-41% to secure re-election to the 7th state Senate District on Tuesday night.
“We are sending four state senators back to Albany representing the people of Nassau County,” Martins said to a roaring crowd at the Nassau County Republican at the Coral House in Baldwin.
Martins touted his victory alongside recent Republican gains on Long Island, arguing that the party was resurgent.
Martins was elected for a fourth term to the state Senate in November 2022, defeating state Sen. Anna Kaplan 53% to 46%. He served the 7th Senate District on Long Island from 2011 to 2017. Before his terms in the Senate, Martins served as mayor of Mineola for eight years.
“The people have spoken—and I am honored to continue being your state Senator,” Martins tweeted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I remain as committed as ever to common-sense policies that will protect our families and our suburban neighborhoods.”
Martins said that as a state senator, he helped usher in a new era for New York that delivered cooperation, on-time budgets, and the lowest state taxes in over 50 years.
His said his priorities included the border, antisemitism, crime and safety, housing, congestion pricing, and the cost of living.
According to his campaign website, Martins argued he was a reasonable bipartisan legislator capable of holding the Hochul administration accountable for what he alleges is a constant assault on suburban communities.
Keiserman, a 23-year resident of Port Washington, thanked supporters and looked to the future in her concession.
“This was not the outcome we wanted, but I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done to continue organizing for reproductive freedom, gun safety, our environment, increased affordability, and fully funded public schools here in Nassau County,” Keiserman said. “My belief in this community remains steadfast, and I look forward to continuing the work of building a strong, engaged grassroots movement to fight for the critical Long Island values of equity, justice, and fairness,”
Keiserman began her career as a high school social studies teacher.
In June, she defeated Brad Schwartz in the Democratic primary with 75% of the 9,135 votes cast, according to the Nassau County Board of Elections.
Keiserman is an education consultant and serves as a commissioner for the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, chairwoman of the Baxter Estates Planning Board, and board member of the Come to Believe Network. She is also president of the Port Washington Democratic Club, a zone Leader for the Nassau County Democratic Committee, and co-president of the Baxter’s Pond Foundation.
During the campaign, Keiserman advocated for reproductive rights, fostering gun safety legislation, investing in public education, lowering taxes, bolstering affordability, protecting the environment, and standing up against bigotry.
Keiserman ran a mailer campaign attacking Martins’s record on abortion. The mailer cited Martin’s history of voting against statewide protections, including his votes in 2013 and 2014 and his vote against doctors who provide for patients coming from states barring abortions.
The Martins campaign also ran a mailer campaign against Keiserman. Their mailer alleged the Keiserman campaign is funded by the communist party, pushing for higher taxes and supporting Nassau County as a sanctuary city and high-density development on Long Island.
Martins was among several Republican victories throughout Long Island for state Senate.
In District 5, Republican incumbent state Sen. Steven Rhoads defeated Lisa Lin 57%-35%.
State Sen. Alexis Weik cruised to re-election in District 8 after a 63%-30% victory over Francis Dolan.
Patricia M. Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick defeated James Lynch 50%-42% to secure another term representing District 9, according to the Nassau Board of Elections.
Siela Byone, a Democrat from District 6, won the lone seat that Republicans failed to capture. Byone defeated attorney Thomas Philip Montefinise 55%-36%.
“This campaign started as a people power campaign, pressing the issues that matter to people most,” Byone said to supporters at the Nassau Democratic watch party in the Garden City Hotel.
The seat Byone won opened after Democratic state Sen. Kevin Thomas announced he was running for the nomination for the 4th Congressional District in 2023.
In her fifth term as a Nassau County Legislator of District 2, Bynoe is the alternate deputy minority leader. In 2003, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a Nassau County Legislator, her office partnered with NuHealth to bring the Nassau University Medical Center breast cancer screening van to the Lakeview Public Library.
While they failed to sweep all of the state senate seats on Long Island, the news that former President Donald Trump successfully won election to a second term in the White House and the United States Senate changing from Democratic to Republican control added to the Republicans’ wins.