Timothy Bishop- Democrat

Congressman Timothy Bishop is campaigning for his fifth term of office this Autumn to represent Eastern Long Island, the 1st New York Congressional District.

Bishop has represented Eastern Long Island since January of 2003 when he defeated Republican incumbent Felix Grucci by 1.6 percent, less than 3,000 votes.

In more recent times, Rep. Bishop supported the extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for middle class families and “the goals and ideals of Student Financial Aid Awareness Month.”

Bishop also voted in favor of health care reform in March of this year and listed facts and details about what such legislation would do for different constituents on his website.

Bishop’s focus is on middle class families, and in Congress he has pushed for increased access to education and safeguarding the environment among other things.

Bishop was born on June 1, 1950 in Southampton, N.Y. He graduated from Southampton high school in 1968 and has an BA in History from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass. and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Long Island University. He is a former Provost of Southampton College.  He and his wife Kathryn have two daughters, Molly and Meghan.

Randolph Altschuler- Republican

Randolph Altschuler will be challenging Rep. Tim Bishop for the House seat for the New York first congressional district.

“I believe my experience building companies and creating jobs has prepared me to contribute to changing the culture in Washington from day one,” said Altschuler on his website.

Altschuler is opposed to a trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other terrorists accused of being tied to the 9/11 attacks in a federal civilian court in New York City.

He would also strongly oppose to the presence of illegal immigrants on Long Island. “Border security is akin to Homeland Security.”

According to his website, he is “pro-family and pro-life.”

While Altschuler supports Medicare and Social Security, he states that he would fight against the health care legislation passed in March.

He said the same about supporting charter schools and tax credits for attending faith-based schools amongst other non-public school options.

He is against what he would say is our dependence on foreign oil.

Altschuler and his brother were raised by a single mother, and he and his wife Cheryl currently live in St. James, N.Y., with their son Noah. Cheryl is a practicing pediatrician.