A contender to interchange Lengthy Island Rep. Tom Suozzi in subsequent week’s Democratic major for the third Congressional District is dealing with warmth for his hyperlinks to outstanding Republicans.
Robert Zimmerman does enterprise by way of his Zimmerman-Edelson PR agency with Nassau County Republican Celebration chairman Joe Cairo, who's president of the Nassau Off-Observe Betting Company.
Zimmerman’s agency is on retainer with Nassau OTB, he has responded to reporter inquiries despatched to the wagering company, and has performed work with the Republican-run City of Hempstead, information present.
Zimmerman-Edelson additionally donated $1,000 to the Nassau County Republican Committee in 2007, gave $500 to former GOP Rep. Peter King in 2014 and made three donations totaling $1,750 to Residents For Anthony Santino, supporters of the longtime Hempstead councilman.
Zimmerman’s funding portfolio has additionally raised eyebrows.
As Democrats push to ween America off fossil fuels, his private monetary disclosure type exhibits mutual fund investments of between $1,000 and $15,000 with oil firms ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips.
Zimmerman, a longtime member of the Democratic Nationwide Committee, additionally has investments in tobacco firms British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris; and pharmaceutical giants Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson.
He additionally owns between $1,000 and $15,000 of Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR), a fund which holds shares in gun producer Sturm Ruger.
Zimmerman’s rep mentioned the candidate doesn't choose his shares and the investments are a part of a diversified mutual fund portfolio.
However his rival, Nassau County legislator Joshua Lafazan, has accused Zimmerman of hypocrisy.
“Zimmerman has spent the previous couple of weeks lobbing determined and hypocritical assaults at Josh whereas his personal marketing campaign is flailing,” Lafazan marketing campaign advisor Kim Devlin mentioned. “He's a basic old skool politician who cozies as much as anybody who can pad his pockets whereas Josh has really led on Democratic values like abortion entry, gun reform and reasonably priced healthcare.”
Zimmerman, for his half, has attacked Lafazan for working up to now with backing from the Conservative Celebration and his marketing campaign urged the Federal Elections Fee to probe whether or not Lafazan boosted his marketing campaign coffers by funneling cash there from a billionaire couple who coated no less than $50,000 of his faculty tuition funds by way of a mortgage.
“From serving to to fund the anti-abortion Conservative Celebration, to being broadly criticized by the NAACP and LGBTQ teams for backing right-wing priorities, to refusing to come back clear about whether or not he voted for Donald Trump in 2016 — there’s good motive why Democrats don’t belief Josh Lafazan,” mentioned Zimmerman marketing campaign spokesman Jason Kaplan. “That’s why Democratic leaders like Hillary Clinton, Rep. Grace Meng, and Rep. Greg Meeks all endorsed Robert Zimmerman.”
Different candidates within the race embody Jon Kaiman, who has served as a City of North Hempstead supervisor and county choose; well being care advocate Melanie D’Arrigo and Reema Rasool.
The third Congressional District consists of parts of Nassau, Suffolk and a sliver of Queens. Major day is about for Aug. 23, with early voting occurring by way of Sunday.
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