Monica R. Martinez for State Senate District 4

There are roughly twice as many registered Democrats as registered Republicans in the State Senate's 4th District, and its racial demographics make it a majority-minority district.

As a member of the majority party in New York State, Democrat Monica R. Martinez finds herself in a different sort of majority-minority in terms of political party affiliation on Long Island. She is one of just two Democrats in Long Island's State Senate delegation, although statewide Democrats are just two seats shy of a supermajority in the chamber.

But Martinez, 49, of Brentwood, has carved a niche for herself as a Long Island representative who at times stands up to the powerful influence of New York City Democrats, who control much of what gets done in Albany.

"We're not ... going to just acquiesce to what New York City wants," she told the editorial board, adding, "We had a hard time letting people know that we are different than the city ... we are our own entity and we have different needs ..."

Martinez is a proponent of increasing the affordable housing stock in her district, especially near mass transit. Like many Long Island officials, she supports expanding sewers, a critical steppingstone to increasing housing supply.

Martinez told the editorial board she favors reevaluating the complex aid formula for public schools, although she didn't provide specifics aside from noting that there are great disparities between how districts are funded based on the needs of their students.

Martinez's opponent, Republican Brianne R. Wakefield, 40, of Bay Shore, channels what many families on Long Island worry about: Can their loved ones afford to live here when they grow up? Her community involvement, especially in her church and with the Suffolk County Women's Advisory Commission, is admirable, and she wants to provide volunteer fire departments with needed equipment, make housing more affordable for seniors, and repave Route 111.

But her ideas often lack the depth needed to craft and pass legislation in Albany that positively impacts people's lives.

Martinez has proved to be a valuable proponent for her district while navigating Albany politics.

Newsday Opinion endorses Martinez.