Biography
Republican Ed Ra, 40, is the incumbent for the state’s 19th Assembly District running on the Republican Party line ahead of the Nov. 8 election. He has been in his current post since 2013 and was previously the representative of the state’s 21st Assembly District from 2011 to 2013.
After graduating from Loyola College in Maryland, Ra earned his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law in 2007 and a Masters of Laws degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2008. Prior to his election to the state Assembly, Ra served as deputy town attorney for the Town of Hempstead and as a legal aide in the Office of the New York State Attorney General.
Ra serves as the Ranking Minority Member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, which vets bills with fiscal implications. Previously, Ra served as Assistant Minority leader Pro Tempore and as Ranking Member of the Assembly Education Committee.
A Mineola native, Ra is a graduate of Chaminade High School and currently resides in Garden City South.
Ra’s father, Joe, was a former attorney and councilman for Hempstead and was a member of Hempstead government for nearly four decades.
The Issues
Ra’s legislative priorities include emphasizing transparency and accountability in the state budget process, rooting out public corruption and promoting public safety, according to his Assembly page.
Ra told Blank Slate Media in a recent interview that he is in favor of more judicial discretion when it comes to cashless bail reform and is an advocate for better defining the “health of the mother” when it comes to abortion.
The District
New York’s 19th Assembly District stretches into North Hempstead, Hempstead and Oyster Bay. Communities include Franklin Square, West Hempstead, Garden City South, Garden City Park, New Hyde Park, North New Hyde Park, Westbury, Carle Place, Mineola, Williston Park, East Williston, Westbury, Old Westbury, Brookville, Old Brookville, Upper Brookville and Glen Head.
