State Senate, 6th District

Jonathan Gunther

Libertarian

Background: Gunther, 30, of Levittown, works as a FedEx operations administrator, and in customer service at the Levittown BestBuy. He is working toward an associate degree in liberal arts from Nassau Community College.

Issues: Gunther, who believes in limited governmental intervention, supports legalization of recreational marijuana in New York State. He also opposes what he characterizes as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's frequent use of executive orders to implement policy. Gunther opposes the minimum wage and would seek its repeal, saying it makes it more difficult for small businesses to hire. Gunther said he is a Second Amendment advocate and would support the repeal the state's "red flag" law, which allows judges to confiscate firearms from individuals determined to be a threat to themselves or others. Gunther said he would introduce legislation to eliminate 11th and 12th grade in New York State, and require students to graduate high school at the end of 10th grade.

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.