Carolyn McCarthy
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| Carolyn McCarthy | |
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| In office 1997 - present |
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| Preceded by | Dan Frisa |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | January 5, 1944 New York City, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | widowed |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Carolyn McCarthy (born January 5, 1944), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing New York's 4th congressional district (map), since 1997. The district is located in central Long Island and includes the Five Towns, East Rockaway, Rockville Centre, Garden City, Hempstead, Uniondale, East Meadow, Roosevelt, Franklin Square, Valley Stream, and Elmont.
Born in Brooklyn, McCarthy worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse and lived with her family in the Long Island town of Mineola, a suburban area near New York City. On December 7, 1993, her ex-husband was killed and her son, Kevin was injured on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train at the Merillon Avenue station, when a gunman, Colin Ferguson, opened fire on random passengers.
McCarthy responded to the tragedy by launching a campaign for additional gun control laws that eventually propelled her to Congress with strong backing from Democratic and liberal activist groups and the liberal Long Island daily Newsday. She defeated Republican one-term incumbent Dan Frisa by 15 points. Frisa had voted in favor of the unsuccessful effort to repeal the federal Assault Weapons Ban, which has since expired and not been renewed by Congress.
The Fourth District had been in Republican hands since 1953, but has supported Democrats for president since 1992. She faced a close fight for reelection against state assemblyman Gregory Becker, but didn't face another serious opponent until 2004. That year, she faced Hempstead mayor James Garner, who served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2003. It was originally believed to be a tight race, but McCarthy defeated Garner 63% to 37%.
McCarthy serves on the Education and Workforce Committee, and the Financial Services Committee. She is also one of the most vocal supporters in the House for gun-control, including reinstating the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms commonly (but erroneously) referred to as assault weapons. In addition to her gun-control efforts, McCarthy is especially active in issues relating to education and public health.
Even though McCarthy has always served in the House as a Democrat, she was still registered as a Republican until 2003.
Ratings by political groups reflect McCarthy's liberal voting record. She received a rating of 8% [1] from the American Conservative Union in 2005 and holds a lifetime ACU rating of 20%. By contrast, McCarthy received a Liberal Quotient of 90 [2] from the liberal activist group Americans for Democratic Action. McCarthy received a "C" on the "progressive" Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.
| Preceded by: Daniel Frisa |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 4th congressional district 1997– |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
