Former Assemblyman May Run For Zeldin's State Senate Seat

Former state Assemb. Dean Murray, a Republican from East Patchogue, is interested in making a run for the 3rd Senate District seat being vacated by state Sen. Lee Zeldin, R-Shirley.

Murray told Newsday Monday that he originally planned to run for 3rd Assembly District, a seat he lost last year to current Assemb. Edward Hennessey, D-East Moriches, after holding it since 2010. However Zeldin’s recent announcement that the state senator would like to challenge Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton, for the New York 1st Congressional District in 2014, may change Murray’s original plan.

"My focus had been on a return to the Assembly, but this obviously changes things a bit," Murray said to Newsday. "This type of opportunity doesn't come around often, and I think I could be a good fit."

Murray said in the report that he plans on talking to Senate and Republican leaders about his interest in the seat.

There are no front-runners for nomination as of now, Suffolk County Republican chairman John Jay LaValle said in the report. LaValle also said that it is “very premature” to discuss potential candidates, and that he is not currently entertaining conversations about the race at this point to focus on town-level elections in November. LaValle did say that he believes a Republican will hold the seat when that election comes.

State senator Michael Gianaris, D-Queens, who heads the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, did not discuss potential candidates in the report, but said that his party’s view is that the 3rd Senate District “has always been a Democratic district with a strong Republican incumbent.”

The area represented by the 3rd Senate District runs along the south shore from Mastic Beach to East Islip, and includes the areas of Patchogue, Medford, Sayville, Blue Point, Bayport, Farmingville, Holtsville, Holbrook, Ronkonkoma, Lake Ronkonkoma and Hauppauge.

Click here for the original report on Newsday (Subscription).