Steve Israel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Cheri Bustos David Cicilline Hakeem Jeffries (Co-Chairs) |
| Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | Chris Van Hollen |
| Succeeded by | Ben Ray Luján |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Rick Lazio |
| Succeeded by | Tom Suozzi |
| Constituency | 2nd district (2001–2013) 3rd district (2013–2017) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 30, 1958 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Marlene Budd
(m. 2003; div. 2014)Cara Longworth (m. 2018) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | George Washington University (BA) |
Steven Jay Israel (born May 30, 1958) is an American political commentator, lobbyist, author, bookseller and former politician. He served as a U.S. representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in New York's 2nd congressional district until 2013 and New York's 3rd congressional district until his retirement.[1] At the time of his departure from Congress, his district included portions of northern Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island, as well as a small portion of Queens in New York City.
Israel chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015 and Democratic Policy and Communications Committee from 2015 to 2017. Prior to his election to Congress, he served on the Huntington Town Board, starting 1993. After leaving Congress in 2017, Israel joined CNN as a political commentator.[2] In 2019, he was appointed the inaugural director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University.[3] As of 2022[update], Israel also serves on the Board of Advisors for lobbying firm Michael Best Strategies.[4]
Israel was born in Brooklyn[5] and raised in the Long Island community of Levittown, New York.[6] He attended Nassau Community College and Syracuse University for one year before graduating from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982.[7]
After earning his bachelor's degree, Israel became a staff member for U.S. Representative Richard Ottinger.[5] He was later elected to the town council in Huntington, New York, in 1993.[8]
After Rick Lazio left his House seat to run for the United States Senate in 2000, Israel was elected to his seat, receiving 48% of the vote, defeating Republican Joan Johnson, who received 34%, and four independent candidates.[9] He was reelected seven times with relatively little difficulty, despite representing a swing district on paper.
On January 5, 2016, Israel announced that he would not seek reelection in November 2016.[10]
Israel voted to authorize George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq, even though more than 60 per cent of his Democratic colleagues in the House voted against the bill.[11]
In his second term, Israel was tapped for a leadership position as Assistant Whip. In his third term, Israel was appointed to chair the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Defense and Military, a group of 15 Democratic House members who reach out to the defense community and advise the House Democratic leadership on military policy.
In 2006, in response to Jimmy Carter's book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Israel said, "I disagree with President Carter fundamentally. The reason for the Palestinian plight is the Palestinians."[12]
Israel supported a study on the feasibility of switching from Tuesday to weekend voting.[13]
Israel's support for Occupy Wall Street drew criticism from conservatives, who claimed the movement harbored "anti-Semitic" elements. In response Israel pointed to his support for the nation of Israel as well as his own Jewish heritage.[14]
As an ally of Nancy Pelosi, Israel was mentioned in 2010 as a possible successor to Chris Van Hollen, the chairman of the DCCC; he declined to speak about it until after the midterms were over, saying he was "just completely focused on supporting Nancy Pelosi."[15]
It was reported that Pelosi's selection of Israel to head the DCCC had much to do with the district he represents, where "Democrats hold a modest registration edge but independents decide elections." Israel had gained respect through fundraising and recruiting candidates for the campaign committee. Israel is one of the few Democrats who has run campaign ads in defense of his vote on health care.[8]
Israel has said he supports legal abortions in cases of rape, incest, and threat to the life of the mother, though he does not support abortions being legal in all cases.[16] He has voted against bills that would prohibit federal funding for abortions, against a bill that would eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides abortions, and against the Abortion Pain Act, which would have prevented abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Since 2004 he has consistently received 100% ratings from the pro-choice groups NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, as well as a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee.
On July 4, 2013, Israel announced legislation that would require all U.S. national parks to sell merchandise that is Made in the USA.[17]
Israel supports increased regulation on gun ownership. He voted against several bills and amendments which would decrease federal regulation of safety precautions of guns and decrease federal regulations on the sale of firearms. He also cosponsored the 2009 "No Fly, No Buy" Act,[18] stating "Gun safety measures like the 'No Fly, No Buy' Act should be a no-brainer for every member of Congress. It's common sense legislation."[19] He has received 0% ratings from the pro-gun rights NRA and the Gun Owners of America, as well as 100% ratings from the pro-gun control Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.[20] Israel was an original cosponsor of the bill To extend the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 for 10 years (H.R. 3626; 113th Congress), which passed the House on December 3, 2013.[21] The bill allowed for a ten-year extension of the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, but did not expand any of its provisions (related to plastic guns).
Israel voted for the 2010 Affordable Care Act[22] and against several bills repealing it.[20]
Israel supports same-sex marriage. In a June 2009 press release he stated, "I'm proud of what Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont have done for marriage equality. I hope that my home state of New York will soon follow."[23] New York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011.
He voted for the repeal of Don't ask, don't tell and for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.[20]
He has a 100% rating from the pro-LGBTQ rights Human Rights Campaign and a 0% rating from the Family Research Council.[16]
In October 2022, Israel joined the Council for Responsible Social Media project launched by Issue One to address the negative mental, civic, and public health impacts of social media in the United States co-chaired by former House Democratic Caucus leader Dick Gephardt and former Massachusetts lieutenant governor Kerry Healey.[24][25]
Steve Israel was an honorary member of the gala host committee for a Gala dinner on October 27, 2009, by J Street, a liberal[26][27][28] nonprofit lobbying group. In the weeks leading up to the Gala dinner, those aligned with the Likud, the political party of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, criticized Steve Israel and those supporting J Street. The Weekly Standard blogger Michael Goldfarb called the J Street dinner an "anti-Israel bash."[29] In response, Steve Israel's spokeswoman Lindsay Hamilton state, "It's absurd that this has become a controversy [...] The Congressman agreed to be on the gala host committee. That doesn't mean he agrees with every viewpoint of every speaker at the event".[30]
New York election law allows for fusion voting, where a candidate can run as a member of multiple parties. In 2000 Israel ran only as a Democrat in his winning bid for Congress, but since 2002 he has also run as the candidate for the Independence Party and the Working Families Party. In 2000 the Republican candidate ran only as a Republican, but since 2002, every Republican has also run as the candidate for the Conservative Party of New York.
Israel has two adult daughters.[6] He has written two novels of political satire: The Global War on Morris (2014) and Big Guns (2018).[32][33]
The 2012 sale of Israel's marital home was the subject of minor controversy, after it was discovered that he had received financial contributions from lenders who also gave him a favorable deal on a short sale of the home in the wake of his separation from his wife Marlene Budd.[34][35]
In November 2021, Israel opened a bookstore in Oyster Bay, New York, named after former president and town resident Theodore Roosevelt.[36]
