Nassau GOP chief backs Maragos for Senate

Nassau GOP chairman Joseph Mondello Sunday formally threw his support behind George Maragos' bid for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kirsten Gillibrand, calling the county comptroller "the best and most-qualified candidate."

Mondello said in a written statement after a fundraising breakfast for Nassau Republicans that "Mr. Maragos is a consensus builder with vision and experience to bring New York new manufacturing jobs, stimulate upstate investment to create jobs, fix our schools and achieve energy independence."

Maragos, 62, of Great Neck, is campaigning against Harry Wilson and Marc Cenedella for the Republican nomination to challenge Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). A Siena College poll released last week showed Gillibrand leading Maragos, 63 percent to 22 percent. She also was ahead of Wilson, who ran last year for state comptroller, 63 percent to 23 percent. Cenedella, founder of job-search website TheLadders.com, was not included in the poll's findings.

County Attorney John Ciampoli called Sunday's endorsement a step toward the nomination.

"When you have the Nassau County Republican organization behind you, you have to be taken seriously," Ciampoli said. "So what we now have is a person who's become a schooled candidate with real resources, with a real organization behind him and with a real record to run on."

Maragos has proposed attracting manufacturing jobs by eliminating corporate taxes for new manufacturing plants. The first-term comptroller and married father of two also pledged to "make our government the right size.

"I'm ecstatic, not for myself, but for the people of Nassau County and New York State," Maragos said of Mondello's endorsement.

"I think it's critical that we have people in Washington with common-sense experience, a track record of accomplishments and proven leadership skills," Maragos said.

Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) at the breakfast lauded Maragos for both his private-sector and government experience.

Maragos worked as a vice president at Chase and Citibank before founding a financial technology services company.

This is Maragos' second campaign for Senate.

Gillibrand, 45, of Brunswick, is running for her first full Senate term.

Her spokesman Glen Caplin said, "When the time comes, she looks forward to running an aggressive campaign based on her record of fighting for New Yorkers."