Staniford seeks to take on Rep. Rice in 4th Congressional District
ALBANY — Bill Staniford, a high school dropout turned Marine code-breaker who became a tech company CEO, announced Friday he is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice in the 4th Congressional District.
"I know what it takes to fight for your dreams," said Staniford, 51, of Lawrence. "I’m running for Congress to give every New Yorker the chance that I had to live the American dream."
Staniford said he sees "too much corruption and broken leadership in New York and Washington" as well as "out-of-control spending leading to higher costs of living for everyday Americans."
"You’re paying more at the pump and at the grocery story and I’m fed up," Staniford said.
Staniford hopes to challenge Rice in November. Rice, 56, is a former Nassau County district attorney and has represented the Queens-Nassau County district since 2015.
Rice’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, Rice was endorsed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who called Rice "an incredible public servant, with a proven track record of working collaboratively to get things done for Long Island and the rest of the state."
Staniford was the CEO of PropertyShark.com, which is a data resource service for New York City commercial and residential properties. He said he dropped out of high school in New York City and, at age 21, joined the U.S. Marine Corps. There he served five years working under the National Security Agency as cryptologist and as an electronic warfare specialist.
He later graduated from the University of Texas and the University of Colorado. He is now CEO of Qira, a financial and screening program for property management. He is chairman of entrepreneurship and innovation at the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
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