Peter King, Patricia Maher square off in 2nd Congressional District

Facing a Democrat with scant funding and little party support, Rep. Peter King is running for his 12th term in Congress this fall by campaigning for other Republicans.

On a cloudy morning last week, King, 70, of Seaford, appeared before nearly three dozen veterans in a VFW Post in Sayville to endorse Republican Tom Croci of Islip for State Senate.

"That's basically what I do, I hit smaller venues," said King about his schedule, crowded with meetings and fundraisers where he's the draw, not the one needing publicity or cash.

Democratic challenger Patricia Maher, a community activist and perennial candidate, has also made the rounds, including a recent stop at a Bellmore VFW Post.

Maher, 55, of East Meadow, said she's the underdog to King but added, "Nobody should get a free ride, and he's not getting a free ride from me."

The field of battle is the 2nd Congressional District, which stretches across the South Shore from Seaford to Sayville, East Farmingdale to Holbrook, and Brentwood to Saltaire.

It has a 30 percent minority population and only a slight edge in Republican and Conservative Party voters over Democrats and Working Families Party members. That makes the district, politicians and analysts said, fertile ground for a close race -- but not this year.

"We don't view this race as competitive," said Rich Schaffer, chairman of the Suffolk County Democratic Party. "Post-King, it will be."

Democrats haven't mounted a serious run against King since 2006, and they're putting few resources into this year's race.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee isn't funding her. The liberal Working Families Party did not endorse her. Schaffer said Maher was the only one to step forward to run against King.

Cash and reputation

King is well known locally and a fixture on national television as a commentator on national security. He has won every election since 1992 and has $2.6 million in cash.

Maher, little known by comparison, has run often for local, state and congressional office, never successfully.

She said she has raised less than $5,000. Donors gave her $1,021 on ActBlue, an online fundraising tool for Democrats.

The Green Party candidate, insurance claims representative William D. Stevenson, 36, of Amityville, who hasn't raised money, said he backs laws to reduce carbon dioxide.

Support for King comes not only from Republicans but also from Democrats who see him as a key ally in a GOP House often hostile to New York.

Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committeeman from Long Island, said he has policy differences with King. But he said he respects King: "He stood up to the tea party on [superstorm] Sandy aid and he stood up to the NRA on its more extreme measures."

Maher urged Democrats to vote for her to shake things up. She contrasted her Democratic agenda with King's record.

Maher said she is for equal pay for women, abortion rights, raising the minimum wage, protecting Social Security and Medicare from being privatized and cut, and comprehensive immigration reform. She opposes free trade agreements.

She noted King voted no on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which makes it easier for women to sue for unequal pay. "I don't think anybody should be in Congress who voted against it," she said.

She said she would work to speed up Sandy relief and the cleanup of tons of debris laced with asbestos and other toxins dumped at Brentwood's Roberto Clemente Park.

"I haven't heard one peep out of him about the asbestos," Maher said. "What Peter King is about is one thing: national security."

Maher criticized King for saying U.S. combat troops may have to join the fight against the Islamic State. "The constituents of this district do not want war for the next decade," she said.

Money's role

Yet she acknowledged that issues aren't enough. "Money really does play a big part in these elections," Maher said.

On Oct. 13, she will hold a Manhattan fundraiser. Hosts include Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney.

Recently, King has been a speaker at fundraisers for the three GOP candidates for House seats from Long Island mixed in with photo ops, lunches, dinners and meetings.

He tries to stay in touch with his district as he goes national with a nascent presidential bid aimed at winning a spot in the 2016 GOP primary debates.

King is a national security hawk -- that's his top campaign issue, he said -- and a social and fiscal conservative. He opposes the Affordable Care Act.

King said he has not spoken out about the dumping issue because it is a local issue and no one has asked for his help. Croci, who as Islip Town supervisor oversees the cleanup, confirmed King's statement.

Pragmatism for New York

King is pragmatic about politics, analysts say, and is a moderate compared with other House Republicans.

With more Democrats and minorities in his district now, he has softened his rhetoric.

Despite his past harsh attacks on "amnesty," King won over immigration activists in the district by saying he'd vote for legalization for those here without authorization after U.S. borders are secure.

Yet it's King's standing up for New York in the House that makes him formidable.

"He's been seen to be there in some very big ways for New York State and Long Island in ways that transcended partisanship," said Lawrence Levy of Hofstra University's National Center for Suburban Studies. "There is hardly a Democrat on Long Island who would lift a finger to beat him."

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated Patricia Maher's criticism of Rep. Peter King on the U.S. military response to the Islamic State. It also incorrectly stated that Maher is for "universal child care."