Dear friends:

With your help, we waged a tremendous campaign for change. We held the Republicans accountable and showed Peter King that he cannot take re-election for granted.

While we came up short in the 3rd Congressional District, the Democrats have taken back both the House and Senate! This means the issues that we were fighting for - a new direction in Iraq, raising the minimum wage, ending the culture of corruption in Washington, protecting the environment - will finally take top priority in Congress.

Today my newest television advertisement hit the air, and I'd appreciate your comments.

The ad hits Peter King on the Iraq war and his support for George "Stay the Course" Bush and Donald "Back Off" Rumsfeld. Peter King is one of the few Republicans who still stand by the failed Republican policies in Iraq. He has refused to ask tough questions and hold the Bush administration accountable.

It seems that every time Peter King opens his mouth he says something unbelievable, something that clearly puts him at odds with the constituents he's supposed to serve. Among his more memorable quotes:

"My campaign is that I'm George Bush's guy in Congress." (New York Times)

"I thank God every night that he is our president."

It's been a tough few days for Peter King. First, his smear campaign against me was exposed in the press. Then his dirty tricks were denounced, both in the press and by leaders of the Jewish community.

Then things really took a turn for the worse for King - I began airing my first television ad, which exposes Peter King's record as a reliable rubber stamp for George Bush. After all, Peter King is the man who says "I thank God every night that [George Bush] is our President.

You would think a fourteen year incumbent Congressman would have a lot of positive things to say about his record in a reelection campaign. You would think an incumbent Congressman who claims he's in no danger of defeat would ignore his opponent. Not Peter King. He's kicked off his campaign with a campaign mailing that attacks me! And while I'm honored that King takes me seriously enough to attack in his first campaign mailing, he's made it very clear how he plans to try to win: smear his opponent, and run a campaign based on fear and divisiveness. It's a typical Republican tactic across the country - we've seen in the Virginia and Montana senate races, as well as countless House races. Now the Rove-approved, fear-based campaign tactics have finally come to Long Island.

In a recent Newsday article, Peter King endorsed a proposal to base our airport security on a full-scale racial profiling program. This is a cheap election year stunt aimed at motivating King's ultra-conservative base, NOT at increasing security. The security of our country is a serious problem that requires significant thought and practical answers. King has repeatedly shown that he cares little for coming up with a real solution.

Then, Peter King (probably stung by the criticism he received) dramatically reversed himself. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, King's new opinion was that airport screeners should merely take into account a person's ethnicity as part of the threat equation in combination with displayed behavioral characteristics. His initial position followed by his subsequent flip-flop further proves that King, the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, has no serious solutions for our nation's flawed security procedures.

Ned Lamont's stunning defeat of Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary on Tuesday has sent shockwaves across the political landscape. It has also sent a warning to Democrats and Republicans alike: supporting the failed policies of the Bush administration can be hazardous to your political health.

The defeat of someone of Lieberman's stature--in a primary no less--is nothing short of monumental. And it signals the start of a very uneasy election season for Bush and his cronies. Here we have a three-term incumbent whose support from his own party has been crippled through the efforts of a grassroots campaign run by a political neophyte. And by all accounts the dissatisfaction with Lieberman seems to stem directly from his cozy relationship with the Bush administration.

As Chairman of the Nassau County Legislature's committee on Economic Development and Labor, I take great pride in the work I have done on behalf of Long Island's working families. My mother was a housekeeper and then nurse's aide at New Island Hospital and a member of the healthcare workers union, 1199 SEIU. My brother is a member of 1199 and a nurse's aid at New Island to this day. My father died when my sister and I were very young, and my family was able to make ends meet because of my mother's union benefits and the Social Security safety net.

I have never forgotten the support my family received from my mother's union, and I have worked tirelessly to support working families during my tenure as an elected official. I co-sponsored Nassau County's Living Wage law and most recently authored legislation implementing a Bill of Rights for Nassau's domestic and household workers. Prior to being elected I was on the board of the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (I.D.A.) where we were the first I.D.A. in the state to require prevailing wage and apprenticeship programs. As a result of my efforts, the Long Island Federation of Labor has recommended me for endorsement by the AFL-CIO as a candidate for the House of Representatives.

Since I began my campaign, I've been confronted with a slew of misconceptions about Peter King. Among the worst of these is the perception of Peter King as being "labor-friendly."