Jackie Gordon, a combat veteran, educator and community leader, is running for an open seat in Long Island being vacated by Rep. Peter King (R). This seat is on the House Democrats’ red-to-blue list where Democrats can win a GOP seat.
King served in Congress since 1993 and this district from 2013. His retirement provides an excellent opportunity for Jackie Gordon; so too does the trend toward Democrats in suburban districts.
President Obama carried the district twice, although Donald Trump won it in 2016. Thirty-eight percent of the district is Latino or African American; the district has one of the largest concentrations of veterans in New York. Two candidates are competing for the Republican nomination in the district.
Gordon was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and grew up in Queens, New York. After her 29-year career in the armed forces, including deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan, she retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.
Simultaneously, she spent nearly three decades working in New York public schools. She has education degrees from Hunter College and Queens College, and was a guidance counselor at Wilson Technological Center in Farmingdale, mentoring and advising Long Island high school students for nearly 22 years.
Jackie Gordon is a strong proponent of the military as a tool for peace, not for war, and supports extending the New START agreement. She will be a great new addition to the House.
