King, Kudler vie for 3rd Congressional District seat
LI Herald
By Scott Brinton
October 13, 2010
The race for the 3rd Congressional District pits nine-term U.S. Rep. Peter King, a Republican of Seaford, against New York City social studies teacher Howard Kudler, a Democrat from Merrick.
Kudler, who moved to Merrick from Queens 10 years ago, has kept a low profile in the race to date, shying away from media outlets, including this one. He told one daily newspaper that he prefers to do door-to-door campaigning rather than interviews. He at last contacted the Herald this week. The 56-year-old said he hopes to generate grassroots buzz.
Meanwhile, the incumbent, who many describe as a hard-nosed conservative, has long held the media spotlight and is a regular contributor to national news broadcasts, particularly on matters involving national security. King has long called for greater federal security dollars for New York, in particular the metropolitan area, and was a staunch supporter of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
King, 66, was chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee under President George W. Bush until Democrats took control of the House in 2007. King remains the ranking minority member of the committee.
Kudler, who describes himself as a community leader, says on his campaign palm card, “For 17 years, Congressman King has led Long Island deeper and deeper into a financial and commercial ditch. We have lost jobs, our tax base, our communities and our values.”
His palm card also states, “Poor Pete King. When he has nothing to say, he just says it louder. Terrorist fear, too many mosques, be afraid!! Fear, bomber, danger!”
Kudler said he would:
•Bring lost federal funds back to Long Island.
•Respect veterans and fight to bring U.S. troops home from war.
•Be a “protector of Israel” and an “enemy to all terrorists.”
•Fight GOP plans to privatize Social Security.
If elected, Kudler said he would fight for greater dollars for infrastructure improvement, including construction of new rail lines to help move freight on and off Long Island. He also suggested construction of a cargo airport in Calverton. “Rebuild [Long Island] and corporations will come back,” he said.
Kudler said he would also like to see “green” businesses come to the Island, including factories to construct wind turbines and solar panels.
Kudler said in one media report that he had not expected to run for Congress, but rather had thought he would run again for the 19th Assembly District seat now held by David McDonough, a Republican from North Merrick. Kudler ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2008, garnering 38 percent of the vote. In that race, Kudler told the Herald that he wanted to encourage “now technology” on Long Island. He spoke of bringing a Google server farm here.
In 2008, Kudler also spoke of encouraging transportation alternatives, including creation of a “hybrid highway” on which only hybrid cars would be allowed. When asked where the new highway would be built, he suggested the woodlands along the Meadowbrook Parkway, but said, “I’m not going to plow up the wetlands.”
Thus far, King has not responded to Kudler’s attacks publicly, choosing instead to focus his barbs at national leaders, including President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In particular, King has been highly critical of the Obama administration’s and Pelosi’s approach to addressing terrorism. Upon recent passage of the Intelligence Authorization Bill, which annually funds intelligence-gathering activities by the Central Intelligence Agency, King issued this statement: “The bill that Speaker Pelosi has decided to push is deficient in many respects…Notably, this bill fails to ensure that Guantanamo terrorists stay at Guantanamo and out of the U.S. This bill fails to mandate that terrorists such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the admitted mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, be tried by a military commission. This bill fails to prohibit the issuance of Miranda warnings to foreign terrorists.”
King has argued that the so-called “ground zero mosque,” proposed as a community center and house of worship blocks from the site of the 9/11 attacks, be moved to another location farther away. He recently said on CNN’s “State of the Union with Candy Crawley,” “The Muslims have, as everyone else says, have the right to practice their religion, and they have the right to construct a mosque at ground zero if they wish. What I am saying, though, is that they should listen to public opinion; they should listen to the deep wounds and anguish that this is causing to so many good people.”
Recently, King has also worked in bipartisan fashion to lobby for greater federal dollars for high-speed rail for the Northeast. With Rep. Jim Gerlach, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, King introduced legislation to designate the Northeast as a high-speed rail corridor, which would make it eligible for greater federal dollars.
“As the busiest and most frequently traveled rail line in the country, it only makes sense that the Northeast corridor be made eligible for federal high-speed rail funding,” King said. “In doing so, we create an opportunity in the Northeast to generate jobs, improve the economy and move people faster throughout the region.”
Peter King
Republican, incumbent
Age: 66
Lives in: Seaford
Career: Former Nassau County comptroller and Hempstead Town councilman; U.S. House of Representatives, 1993 to present.
Education: St. Francis College; University of Notre Dame Law School.
Family: Married, with two adult children.
Howard Kudler
Democrat, challenger
Age: 56
Lives in: Merrick
Career: New York City social studies teacher, 1984 to present.
Education: SUNY New Paltz; St. John’s University, master’s in government and politics, certificate in international law and relations
Family: Married, with two children