State Senate District 5: John E. Brooks Runs Against Steven Rhoads

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Redistricting of the State Senate district map on Long Island means a two-term Democrat incumbent from the 8th District is running against a Nassau County Republican legislator in the 5th District. John E. Brooks and Steven Rhoads will face off in the polls on Nov. 8 for the newly-drawn district seat.

Democrat John E. Brooks, 72, served two terms representing the 8th District, on Nassau County's South Shore. Brooks, from Seaford, planned to retire until, he said in a statement, he decided to run in 2022 after the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.

Brooks describes his legislative priorities as "tackling government corruption, ensuring that all students receive the highest quality education possible, addressing taxation evaluation, confronting hunger in our communities, protecting Long Island drinking water, combating the opioid epidemic, and making Long Island an affordable place to live and raise a family."

Republican Steven Rhoads, 53, of Bellmore, has represented the 19th Nassau Legislative District since 2015. He is a volunteer firefighter and attorney for first responders.

His official campaign biography says that as a legislator,"he created the Office of the Crime Victim Advocate to protect the most vulnerable people impacted by pro-criminal policies coming from Albany. To protect children and families, Steve also expanded the Rave Panic Alarm System to better equip schools and houses of worship during times of emergency. Steve has secured millions of dollars in state and federal funding for our neighborhoods, local schools and major road repaving projects. Pursuing non-county funds has improved our local quality of life while minimizing the tax impact."

For more details about how to vote in Nassau County on Election Day, check out our guide here.