Global War on Morris (Israel) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—May 30, 1958
• Where—Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA
• Raised—Wantagh, Long Island, New York
• Education—B.A., George Washington University
• Currently—lives on Long Island, New York, and Washington, D.C.


Steven Israel is the United States Representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, serving in the United States Congress since 2001. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 2001 to 2013, includes portions of northern Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, as well as a tiny portion of Queens in New York City. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee until November 2014. Before serving in Congress, he served on the Huntington, New York town board. He is a native of New York.

Early life, education, and career
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.[2]

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.

U.S. House of Representatives
After Rick Lazio left his House seat to run for the United States Senate in 2001, Israel was elected to his seat, receiving 48% of the vote, defeating Republican Joan Jonhson, who received 34%, and four independent candidates. He has been reelected six times with relatively little difficulty, despite representing a district that is a swing district on paper.

—Committee on Appropriations
        Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
        Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
        Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

—Caucus membership
    Co-chair and founder of Congressional Center Aisle Caucus
    House Cancer Caucus (Co-chair)
    Long Island Sound Caucus (Co-chair)

—Party leadership
    Assistant Democratic Whip
    House Democratic Caucus Task Force On Defense and the Military (Chair)
    House Democratic Study Group on National Security Policy (Co-chair)

(From Wikipedia. Retrieved 12/29/14.)