Martins' exit triggers heated battle for Nassau seat

State Assemb. Jake Blumencranz will give up his seat to run for a highly competitive Senate seat in Nassau County that is being vacated by Sen. Jack Martins, Republicans announced Tuesday.

Blumencranz (R-Oyster Bay), 29, jumps into the contest against Democrat Rory Lancman, 57, in the 7th Senate District, which essentially is based in North Hempstead but also includes parts of Hempstead and Oyster Bay.

The district has flipped multiple times over the last generation between Republican and Democratic control. It contains about 82,000 enrolled Democrats, 67,000 Republicans and 75,000 independents.

Lancman is a member of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority and a former state assemblyman and former New York City Council member. The Great Neck resident wasted no time in criticizing Blumencranz' record.

"He voted against school district funding, women's reproductive rights, gun safety, and anti-discrimination laws, while also voting to make Nassau's sales tax amongst the highest in the state," Lancman said in a statement.

Nassau GOP Chairman Joseph Cairo Jr. countered that Lancman's record is "out of step" with Nassau residents, noting that Lancman, when once running for Queens district attorney, voiced support for ending cash bail for suspects.

Republicans announced Saturday that Martins, who held the seat for five nonconsecutive terms, decided not to seek reelection.

With Blumencranz moving on, Republicans said they are backing Paolo Pironi for the 15th Assembly District, which covers parts of Oyster Bay.

Pironi, 38, is a partner in Pironi Homes, a family owned residential development company, Republican officials said. He previously ran unsuccessfully for county legislature.

He'll face Democrat Dean Tarulli, 38, a Glen Head resident and former resiliency project manager in the state Office of Storm Recovery. He currently is the director of coastal resilience for New York City.

Separately, the GOP is backing David Hassid for the 16th Assembly District, where incumbent Daniel Norber said earlier this year he wouldn’t run. Hassid, 23, is a legislative aide to Town of North Hempstead Councilman Yaron Levy.

Democrats are backing Kim Keiserman, head of the Port Washington Democratic Club and a commissioner on the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board. Keiserman ran unsuccessfully against Martins for Senate in 2024.

The 16th Assembly District had been long held by Democrats before Norber's win in 2024.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy