Democratic 3rd Congressional District candidate Steve Stern continues to show off his support from the man he’s vying to replace in his second TV ad, launched Monday.
U.S. Rep. Steve Israel appears in the 30-second spot titled “Strong,” saying Stern is “strong enough” to “stand up to Tea Party Republicans” and “bring people together to get things done.”
“He’ll always stand up for what’s right for New York,” Israel says in the ad.
Israel hinted at doing a Stern TV ad when he endorsed his longtime friend and fellow Suffolk County resident on May 2. Stern, a Suffolk County Legislator from Dix Hills, is one of five Democrats vying to replace Israel, who announced in January that he would not run for a ninth term.
Stern has touted Israel’s endorsement in a sit-down interview with Blank Slate Media and in Great Neck Democratic Club debate last week, saying he is best equipped to continue Israel’s legacy.
“For far too long, New York’s middle class families have been shut out by special interests in Washington and I am running for Congress to continue Rep. Israel’s fight to put our community first,” Stern said in a statement.
Stern launched his first ad, “Shop,” about his mother’s T-shirt business, in April. Both ads tout Stern’s willingness to oppose GOP efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.
Stern’s campaign has made a “significant buy” for “Strong” on local cable networks, campaign spokesman Isaac Goldberg said. He declined to reveal how much the campaign is spending on TV advertising.
Others on the June 28 primary ballot include Jericho attorney Jonathan Clarke, former North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and town Councilwoman Anna Kaplan.
Kaplan launched her first TV ad on May 11. Titled “Made,” it centers on her experience as a young Iranian immigrant.
The 30-second ad went on the air the same day presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump spoke at a Nassau County GOP fundraiser.
Kaplan has criticized Trump’s stances on immigration and penned an op-ed to Blank Slate Media in March, saying his speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee left her feeling “almost sick to my stomach.”
“I was a Jewish refugee from the Iranian Revolution, persecuted for my religion and gender,” Kaplan says in the ad. “America gave me a chance. So when Donald Trump says these hateful things, I know how dangerous that can become, and how important it is to fight back.”
Kaplan campaign spokesman Reginald Johnson also declined to reveal advertising spending, but said the ad is running on cable networks across the district, which stretches from
Whitestone, Queens, to Kings Park in Suffolk County.
“The objective is to make sure that we communicate Anna’s message and her story to as many voters as we can reach,” Johnson said.
