NY-02: Does Army veteran Jackie Gordon have what it takes?

The odds were not in Jackie Gordon’s favor when she announced her plan last year to challenge Rep. Peter King (R-NY) in New York’s 2nd district.

Gordon’s strong resumé notwithstanding — Army veteran, guidance counselor, public servant — King, who assumed office in 1993, is an institution in the 2nd district, a historically conservative enclave on Long Island’s South Shore that includes parts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

But the Democrat’s chances vastly improved just six months later, when King, 76, said he would retire at the end of his term, citing a “toxic” political atmosphere in Washington. Though King endorsed Republican New York Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino, who won the June 23 GOP primary, the congressman’s imprimatur may not be enough to give his party’s candidate the edge in November.

The Cook Political Report has rated the election a “toss-up,” while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has put Gordon on its “red to blue” list in an effort to expand its majority in the House. “Jackie’s servant-centered leadership will serve this district well, and as her campaign grows stronger, she is well-positioned to flip this district in November,” Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), who chairs the DCCC, told JI in a statement.
Leslie Feldman, a professor of political science at Hofstra University, said much the same, arguing that Gordon, who won the Democratic primary with nearly 73% of the vote, could reasonably expect to eke out a win against Garbarino in the open-seat race. “Could she have won against Peter King? Probably not,” Feldman mused. “But could she win against someone who’s pretty much unknown? I think it’s possible.”

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, which has hobbled traditional campaign strategies, Gordon seemed confident about her prospects in a recent interview with Jewish Insider. “I was campaigning for a little while before the pandemic hit, and then it did, so I do what I often do — rely on my military training,” Gordon said bluntly. “In the military, what we do is adapt and overcome. We take what we’re given and we make the best of it in order to accomplish the mission.”



https://jewishinsider.com/2020/09/does-army-veteran-jackie-gordon-have-what-it-takes/