Endorsement: Mario Mattera for NYS Senate (District 2)

Freshman NYS Senator Mario Mattera has been a great success in representing NYS Senate District 2 (Huntington and Smithtown). He has earned re-election.

Being a minority Republican Senator and a freshman hasn't been easy. But Mattera has been a leader in fighting to protect Long Island's interests and he has stopped some of the worst initiatives to come from Governor Kathy Hochul and her one-party Democratic majority state government.

When Hochul tried to ban single family home zoning on Long Island - which would have resulted in an explosion of multi-family construction and choking traffic across Long Island - Mattera led the charge to stop it. When Hochul and gang tried to end local off-year elections to drown-out your local representatives - Mattera was there to fight and stop it. He is pro-business, pro-family, pro-homeowner and pro-children.

The Democrat's nominee Susan Berland is a lifelong political hack - serving over 20 years in town council and county legislature.

Then in 2021, Berland did one of the most disgusting and unforgivable political stunts in Long Island political history - falsely accusing her then-opponent Manny Esteban of being "anti-Semitic" - for him simply quoting a Bible verse. Berland actually said "He called me a 'Dirty Jew'" when he had done no such thing. After the millions murdered in the Holocaust, fake charges of "anti-Semitism" - in a self-serving effort by a low-brow local politician to whip-up an ethnic political vote - are not just distasteful, they are a betrayal of the millions who died at the hands of real anti-Semites. Berland committed a horrible act - and has never apologized. She should never hold public office again.

The Leader endorses Mario Mattera for NYS Senate.