Current Congressman Pete King (R - Seaford) was born and raised in New York City and moved to Seaford in 1967. King and his wife Rosemary have lived in their same Seaford home since 1971. He received a B.S. degree from St. Francis College and his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School.

Before becoming involved in politics, King was a practicing attorney for a number of years, working for several law firms in Manhattan prior to opening his own practice in Wantagh, which he maintained until being elected Nassau Comptroller.

King has been active in local and community affairs including the Knights of Columbus and American Legion. Prior to being elected to Congress in 1992, King served as Nassau County Comptroller from 1981-1992 and Hempstead Town Councilman from 1978-1981.

King said he is running for re-election so that he can continue to do all that he can to defeat Islamic terrorism in his position as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

During this session of Congress, King said he was responsible for enacting "historic and far reaching legislation." This, he said, included passing the first ever chemical plant security and port security legislation.

Additionally, King said he enacted legislation to reform the federal government's preparedness system to protect the nation against terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Following the passage of these laws, Senator Susan Collins (R.-ME), chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said "Pete King has accomplished more in one year as Homeland Security Committee Chairman than most members of Congress achieve in a lifetime."

King added that he has also led the fight in Congress against illegal immigration, supporting legislation for more border patrol agents, more military technology at the border and the construction of a 700-mile wall along the Mexican border.

A story in the Oct. 6 edition of The Washington Post claimed that even though Congress approved the 700-mile security wall, its construction might not even happen. In response, King said that the law does provide for the fence. "As chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I will do all I can to ensure that the fence is completed."

The congressman said his major achievements during the past year, besides the legislation he passed, were preventing a company owned by the United Arab Emirates from operating American ports and securing increases of 26 percent in transit security funding for New York and 400 percent increases in New York's port security.

The main challenges facing the Third Congressional district, he concluded, are stopping illegal immigration and defeating Islamic terrorism.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Current Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias (D-Massapequa) was raised in Farmingdale and played football at Farmingdale High School (Class of 1988). He later graduated from SUNY Albany School of Business, and earned his J.D. from Fordham Law School

Mejias started his own law firm at the age of 26. He is now the managing partner of David L. Mejias & Associates, with law offices in Westbury and Hempstead. In 2003, Dave Mejias was elected legislator of the 14th legislative district and, in 2005, was re-elected to a second two-year term.

"As a Nassau County Legislator, I have fought to improve our communities and people's lives here on Long Island," he said. "I am running for Congress to continue this fight and to make sure everyone has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

"The people of Long Island have always been my top priority, which is why I passed a balanced budget with no tax increases for residents, increased environmental protections, co-sponsored the toughest Megan's Laws in the state, and fought against legislative pay raises. When elected to Congress I will continue my unwavering commitment to the working families of Long Island."

Asked what approved legislation he considers the most significant, Mejias said, "Three bills in particular stand out in my mind. The first two and most significant I worked on were the two Megan's law bills that passed on April 4, 2005 and April 3, 2006, which protect children from sexual predators. These laws require sex offenders in Nassau County to register with the national sex offender registry, notifies families when a sex offender moves in to the neighborhood and prohibits sexual predators from living near parks or schools. The laws passed by the Nassau County Legislature are among the toughest Megan's Law legislation in the country."

He continued, "The third bill I am most proud of is the landmark legislation banning the sale of chromated arsenic-treated (CCA) wood products for residential use. The chemicals used to treat this wood are known carcinogens and increase the incidence of cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified arsenic as a human carcinogen linked to birth defects, cardiovascular, immune and nervous system damage. This bill is the first local legislation in America to close the loophole that allows toxic wood to be used in residential applications."

On the question of illegal immigration, Mejias said, "We need to fully secure our borders to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants. We must crack down on the companies that hire illegal immigrants and don't pay taxes. We must work to find the illegal immigrants currently in the country and impose stiff fines, require them to pay all back taxes, learn English, and go to the back of the line to apply for citizenship."

"The people of the Third Congressional District believe our country is going in the wrong direction," Mejias concluded. "People are concerned with making ends meet, the war in Iraq, our safety here and abroad, and the damage to our environment."

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.