Laura Curran gets 1199-SEIU backing
Laura Curran speaks to supporters after receiving the Democratic party's nomination to be their candidate for Nassau County Executive during their event at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. May 31, 2017 Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
Democratic Nassau County executive candidate Laura Curran has picked up endorsements from two of the area’s large labor unions, including one that sometimes backs local Republicans.
Curran last week announced endorsements from 32BJ SEIU, which represents property service workers, and 1199-SEIU, the nation’s largest health care workers’ union. Though 32BJ consistently gets behind local Democrats, 1199 occasionally backs Republicans.
Last year, 1199 backed Republican Christopher McGrath in the April special election for an open Nassau County state Senate seat. After McGrath lost to Democrat Todd Kaminsky, the union switched their endorsement to Kaminsky for their general election rematch.
Curran, a Nassau County legislator from Baldwin, faces County Comptroller George Maragos in the September Democratic primary for county executive. Curran is backed by the county Democratic Party as well as a stable of other unions and progressive organizations.
Former State Sen. Jack Martins, of Old Westbury, is the Republican nominee for county executive. GOP incumbent Edward Mangano, who is fighting federal corruption charges, has yet to decide whether to seek re-election.
Paul LaRocco is a reporter on the investigations desk. Since starting at Newsday in late 2010, he has also covered Nassau and Suffolk county politics and government and the Town of Oyster Bay.
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