By Brian Bohl
LEVITTOWN, N.Y.- One day after federal elections records showed Rep. Peter King has raised more than a million dollars more than Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias, the two candidates for the third district House of Representatives seat spent nearly two hours attacking each other’s credentials during their only scheduled public debate Tuesday.
King (R-Seaford), the 62-year-old incumbent seeking his eighth consecutive term, has $1.6 million in the bank, compared to $528,351 in campaign contributions Mejias (D- North Massapequa) has accumulated. Despite the disparity in finances, the politicians entered the debate at the Levittown public library in a statistical dead heat, according to the non-partisan Constituent Dynamics poll released Oct. 12.
In an overcrowded conference room that forced the majority of the public to stand in the hallways to hear the open forum, Mejias frequently attempted to tie King to President George W. Bush and the “failed strategy” in the Iraq war, promoting himself as a candidate who he said will bring fresh ideas to Washington.
“There’s a bigger emphasis on a need for change in this country, and I think that’s the right message here,” Mejias said. “It’s not enough to sit back and ask questions and complain. You have to go out there and do something about it.”
Mejias, 35, also continuously cited the ongoing Capitol Hill scandal involving former Congressman Mark Foley and his alleged sexual misconduct with pages. He called on King to demand the resignation of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
King countered that he is waiting for all the facts to come out of the investigation into the Foley matter before demanding anyone be fired. Militarily, the Republican incumbent said he still supports the Iraq War and opposes setting a set withdrawal date. He also cited the fact that the United States has avoided another terrorist attack over the last five years, saying it’s proof that White House military policies are working to keep the country safe.
Standing in the hallway after the debate, the 14-year Congress member was optimistic, insisting he has a larger lead than reported earlier in the week.
“I think it went very well, I couldn’t be happier,” King said.” I have a good lead. I’m looking forward to the next few weeks.”
The candidates disagreed on most issues, with the back-and-forth bickering reaching its apex when the subject of campaign contributions from members of the Islamic Center of Long Island. King has called certain members of the establishment radical for what he said was their refusal to denounce the September 11 terrorist attacks.
“I certainly thought [Mejias] couldn’t answer the question as to why he’s accepting support from radical Muslims,” King said. “I thought he really hurt himself on that.”
Mejias said he has not accepted campaign contributions from any extremists and said it was an example of rhetoric from his opponent. He also criticized King for failing to agree to another debate before Election Day on Nov. 7.
“I’ll debate anytime, anywhere, any place,” Mejias said. “What we heard tonight is that Peter King doesn’t want to debate me anymore, and I don’t blame him. Because if I had his record, I wouldn’t want to defend it in public either.
While King did not commit to another debate, he said he would not rule it out if he felt “it was necessary.” Earlier in the day, the two did a segment for News 12 that served as a precursor to the forum that night. Both participants fielded questions from anyone in the audience who raised their hand was selected by the moderator, though any future debates could be more structured, though King said he does not mind whatever format is selected.
“I expect that in a campaign,” King said about defending his record. “I’ve been in politics too long to get frustrated.”
