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Steve Israel | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2009 | |
| 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 theDemocratic 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 theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew 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 | Steven Jay Israel (1958-05-30)May 30, 1958 (age 67) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Nassau Community College Syracuse University 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 aU.S. representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of theDemocratic Party, he was elected inNew York's 2nd congressional district until 2013 andNew York's 3rd congressional district until his retirement.[1] At the time of his departure from Congress, his district included portions of northernNassau County andSuffolk County onLong Island, as well as a small portion ofQueens in New York City.
Israel chaired theDemocratic 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 theHuntington Town Board, starting 1993. After leaving Congress in 2017, Israel joinedCNN as a political commentator.[2] In 2019, he was appointed the inaugural director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs atCornell University.[3] As of 2022[update], Israel also serves on the Board of Advisors for lobbying firm Michael Best Strategies.[4]
Israel was born inBrooklyn[5] and raised in theLong Island community ofLevittown, New York.[6] He attendedNassau Community College andSyracuse University for one year before graduating fromGeorge Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982.[7]
After earning his bachelor's degree, Israel became a staff member for U.S. RepresentativeRichard Ottinger.[5] He was later elected to the town council inHuntington, New York, in 1993.[8]
AfterRick Lazio left his House seat to run for theUnited States Senate in2000, 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 authorizeGeorge 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 AssistantWhip. 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 toJimmy Carter's bookPalestine: 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 forOccupy 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 ofNancy Pelosi, Israel was mentioned in 2010 as a possible successor toChris 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 forPlanned 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 groupsNARAL, Planned Parenthood, and the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, as well as a 0% rating from theNational Right to Life Committee.
On July 4, 2013, Israel announced legislation that would require all U.S. national parks to sell merchandise that isMade in the USA.[17]
Israel supports increasedgun control 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 an 'F' rating from the pro-gun rightsNRA Political Victory Fund[20] and 0% from theGun Owners of America, as well as 100% ratings from the pro-gun controlBrady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and theCoalition to Stop Gun Violence.[21] Israel was an original cosponsor of the billTo extend the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 for 10 years (H.R. 3626; 113th Congress), which passed the House on December 3, 2013.[22] The bill allowed for a ten-year extension of theUndetectable Firearms Act of 1988, but did not expand any of its provisions (related to plastic guns).
Israel voted for the 2010Affordable Care Act[23] and against several bills repealing it.[21]
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."[24]New York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011.
He voted for the repeal ofDon't ask, don't tell and for theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act.[21]
He has a 100% rating from the pro-LGBTQ rightsHuman Rights Campaign and a 0% rating from theFamily Research Council.[16]
In October 2022, Israel joined the Council for Responsible Social Media project launched byIssue One to address the negative mental, civic, and public health impacts ofsocial media in the United States co-chaired by formerHouse Democratic Caucus leaderDick Gephardt and former Massachusetts lieutenant governorKerry Healey.[25][26]
In February 2025, Israel advocated for Donald Trump's efforts to coerce Canada into being the 51st state, believing that it would help the Democratic Party gain more voters.[27]
Steve Israel was an honorary member of the gala host committee for a Gala dinner on October 27, 2009, byJ Street, a liberal[28][29][30] nonprofit lobbying group. In the weeks leading up to the Gala dinner, those aligned with theLikud, the political party of Israeli Prime Minister,Benjamin Netanyahu, criticized Steve Israel and those supporting J Street.The Weekly Standard bloggerMichael Goldfarb called the J Street dinner an "anti-Israel bash."[31] 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".[32]
New York election law allows forfusion 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 theIndependence Party and theWorking Families Party. In 2000 the Republican candidate ran only as a Republican, but since 2002, every Republican has also run as the candidate for theConservative Party of New York.
U.S. House,2nd District of New York (General Election) | |||||||||
| Year | Winning candidate | Party | Pct | Opponent | Party | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 48% | Joan B. Johnson | Republican | 35% | |||
| 2002 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 58% | Joseph P. Finley | Republican | 40% | |||
| 2004 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 67% | Richard Hoffmann | Republican | 33% | |||
| 2006 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 70% | John W. Bugler | Republican | 30% | |||
| 2008 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 67% | Frank J. Stalzer | Republican | 33% | |||
| 2010 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 56% | John Gomez | Republican | 43% | |||
| 2012 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 58%[33] | Stephen Labate | Republican | 42%[33] | |||
| 2014 | Steve Israel | Democratic | 54%[33] | Grant Lally | Republican | 45%[33] | |||
Israel has two adult daughters.[6] He has written two novels of political satire:The Global War on Morris (2014) andBig Guns (2018).[34][35]
The 2012 sale of Israel's marital home was the subject of a 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.[36][37]
In November 2021, Israel opened a bookstore inOyster Bay, New York, named after former president and town residentTheodore Roosevelt.[38]
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 2nd congressional district 2001–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 3rd congressional district 2013–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Succeeded by | ||
| Succeeded by | ||
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
