His district redrawn, Sen. Jim Gaughran won't seek reelection
State Sen. Jim Gaughran poses for a portrait at his office in Syosset on Feb. 18, 2022. Credit: James Escher
State Sen. Jim Gaughran said Friday he won’t run for reelection, following a redistricting process that significantly broke up his Nassau-Suffolk district.
Gaughran (D-Northport) has represented the 5th Senate District, which ran generally from Glen Cove to northern Huntington, for four years. But a court-ordered redrawing of State Senate districts, which will be in place for this fall’s elections, puts Gaughran’s residence in the Republican-leaning 2nd Senate District and pits him against another incumbent, Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James), who is in his first term of office.
“I’ve been calling friends and supporters and I have decided I am not going to run for reelection in this very new district handed down” by the courts, Gaughran told Newsday.
He said will serve out his term, which ends Dec. 31, and will look to stay involved in issues, especially gun safety.
Gaughran said he was proud of being part of a “blue wave” of Democrats who flipped control of the Senate in 2018 and ushered in a series of progressive laws on gun safety, abortion rights, farmworkers’ rights and drinking water protection.
“I ran to break the logjam in Albany, to pass critical legislation that languished for decades under the Republican majority,” Gaughran said. “Since taking office in 2018, we’ve done just that.”
He said the “realistic situation” though, is those stances will have many opponents in the 2nd Senate District and “I would never compromise my principles just to win votes” in a new district.
Asked if the 2nd district was “winnable” for a Democrat, Gaughran said: “It could be winnable at some point. This year, it will be a tough year with the national headwinds we’re seeing.”
The northern end of the 2nd District runs along the Long Island Sound from Head of the Harbor to Lloyd Harbor; roughly from Dix Hills to Melville on the southern. In the 2020 presidential election, about 50.5% of residents supported Donald Trump and 49.5% Joe Biden, according to the City University of New York. Whites account for 78% of the voting-age population.
By comparison, the 5th, Gaughran’s current district, favored Biden, 55%-45%. Whites account for 70% of the voting-age population, CUNY says.
Suffolk County Chairman Jesse Garcia said of Gaughran’s decision: “This is a reflection of the strong, hard work Sen. Mattera has put forth in his freshman term. I think Jim Gaughran, like many other Democrats, are seeing the writing on the wall and this is one of what I expect will be many victims of their failed progressive policies.”
The Democratic-led State Legislature earlier this year approved a new set of maps for New York’s State Senate, Assembly and congressional districts. But a successful Republican lawsuit resulted in courts declaring the Senate and congressional maps unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Democrats.
The courts took over, appointed a neutral “special master” to propose new lines and enacted the new districts on May 20, effective for this year’s primaries and general election.
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