PERSON: Steve Israel

Member of the Democratic Party

Steven J. "Steve" Israel[4] (born May 30, 1958) is a U.S. Representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party and head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Before serving in the US Congress, he served on the Huntington, New York city council. He is a native of New York.<br> <br> Israel was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Wantagh, on Long Island. He graduated from Nassau Community College and George Washington University. At George Washington University, he worked as an aide for Robert Matsui and then Richard Ottinger. Israel went on to become Suffok County director of the American Jewish Congress. In 1987 he unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the county legislature. After this defeat, he spent three years working as an aide to the Suffolk County executive and founded a PR and marketing firm.<br> He was elected to the town council in Huntington, New York, in 1993. While there, he reportedly convinced the Republican supervisor to switch parties. A town official said that he persuaded colleagues to move for pay raises while opposing them himself, which was seen as a politically safer move.