Newcomer seeks to unseat state Sen. Hannon

A Democratic newcomer plans to challenge a veteran Republican senator in Nassau County.

Ryan Cronin, who has never run for office before, says he will try to unseat Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City), who has been a state legislator for 34 years.

"He's been in Albany longer than I've been alive," said Cronin, 31, who called Hannon's longevity a liability. "He's very vulnerable."

Hannon has represented parts of central Nassau since 1977; first as Assembly member from then until 1989 and as a senator since. Cronin, a private attorney, does have political experience -- he previously served as executive director of the Nassau County Democratic Committee.

Jay Jacobs, who heads both the Nassau and the state Democratic committees, said Cronin would be a "formidable candidate" despite his inexperience.

"I think he has all the right components and can raise the money," Jacobs said. "He could be the candidate that retires Kemp Hannon. He's articulate. He's bright. He comes from Garden City. He's a moderate -- I think that'll attract independents and even attract some Republicans."

Jacobs cautioned that the party hasn't gone through the candidate selection process yet and probably won't until state lawmakers redraw election districts for the 2012 contests.

Hannon has long served as chairman of the Senate Health Committee and a right-hand man for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), functioning as a legal negotiator on key issues.

"Ryan Cronin? I don't know anything about him," Hannon said when contacted Tuesday. He declined further comment.

Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Republicans, called Hannon "an extremely effective legislator who is only focused on what's important to the residents of his district, whether it's keeping taxes as low as possible or helping businesses create new jobs."

The district covers the villages of Garden City, Farmingdale and Hempstead, and the communities of Levittown, Salisbury, North Massapequa, Massapequa, East Meadow, Old Bethpage, Franklin Square, Plainview, Plainedge, Uniondale, West Hempstead, Garden City South, Seaford, North Bellmore and Lakeview. It has 77,964 Democrats, 73,586 Republicans and 41,952 nonaffiliated voters.