Port Washington’s Kim Keiserman will face off against Republican state Sen. Jack Martins in the race for District 7 after defeating Brad Schwartz in a landslide in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
“My name is Kim Keiserman, and I’m proud to be your nominee for NY State Senate District 7,” Keiserman wrote in a Facebook post. “Together, we will flip the script on the Nassau GOP because Long Island’s so-called “red wave” stops right here, right now.”
Keiserman defeated Schwartz in the primary contest with 75.14% of the 9,135 votes cast – 6,905 to 2,230, according to the Nassau County Board of Elections.
All votes had been counted at the time of publication.
Martins, a Republican endorsed by the Conservative Party, did not face a Republican primary and will compete against Keiserman in the Nov. 5 general election.
The district, which includes much of the North Shore and the Town of Oyster Bay as far east as Woodbury, is represented by Martins, who flipped the district red in 2022.
Keiserman is an education consultant and serves as a commissioner for the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, chairwoman of the Baxter Estates Planning Board and a board member of the Come to Believe Network.
She is also president of the Port Washington Democratic Club, a zone Leader for the Nassau County Democratic Committee and co-president of the Baxter’s Pond Foundation.
Her campaign platform advocated for reproductive rights, investing in public education, fostering gun safety legislation, lowering taxes, bolstering affordability, protecting the environment and standing up against bigotry.
Keiserman said she intends to give Long Island a seat at the table at the state level, where Democrats control the Senate and the Assembly, to ensure their voices are heard,
Keiserman was endorsed during her primary campaign by Planned Parenthood Empire State Votes Political Action Committee, Everytown for Gun Safety, Rep. Tom Suozzi (NY-03), Nassau County and New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs, and various other past and present Democrats.
This was Schwartz’s second unsuccessful campaign. He launched one in 2018 against former state Sen. Anna Kaplan but dropped out of the race before the primary.
Schwartz, founding chairman of the Sid Jacobson JCC’s Community Needs Bank, is a former television editor and producer with a Ph.D in public policy. He is a lifelong Long Island’s North Shore resident and lives in Roslyn.
In a candidate forum hosted by the Port Washington–Manhasset League of Women Voters, Keiserman and Schwartz touted their ability to unseat Martins in this November’s general election.
Both also denounced Martins’ “extremist” rhetoric.
“I believe we deserve to be represented by someone who can bring us together to find real solutions, not someone who fear mongers, sows divisions and panders to the extremes of their party,” Keiserman said. “To regain our voice in Albany, it’s vital that we flip this seat.”
Keiserman called Martins’ rhetoric “increasingly hardline and out of touch with the values of our district.”
Martins defeated former state Sen. Anna Kaplan in 2022, but Keiserman said that election was very different.
She said voters will be aware of Martins’ actions as a legislator and his rhetoric in this year’s election. Keiserman said Martins has not been active in the district.
She said she expected higher voter turnout in this year’s election due to the presidential election, which could bolster the chances of a Democrat win.