Jack Martins
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Joaquim "Jack" M. Martins (born June 19, 1967) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the
New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...
for the 7th district. A
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, he previously served as
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Mineola, New York Mineola is a village in and the county seat of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from an Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village". ...
.


Early life and education

Martins is a first-generation
Portuguese American Portuguese Americans ( pt, português-americanos), also known as Luso-Americans (''luso-americanos''), are citizens and residents of the United States who are connected to the country of Portugal by birth, ancestry, or citizenship. Americans and ...
. He was born in
Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...
, to parents who emigrated to the United States in the 1960s. He has two brothers and two sisters and was raised in Mineola. Upon graduating from
Chaminade High School Chaminade High School is a Roman Catholic Marianist college preparatory high school for boys in Mineola, New York, United States. Chaminade’s main campus is also home to Saragossa Retreat Center, one of their three retreat houses. Athletics ...
, he received a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in political science from
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
in 1988. Additionally, Martins received a
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from St. John's University School of Law in 1991.


Political career


Mayor of Mineola (2004–2010)

Martins was elected mayor of the Village of
Mineola, New York Mineola is a village in and the county seat of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from an Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village". ...
in 2003.


2008 congressional campaign

In 2008, Martins ran for Congress against incumbent Democratic
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola). He was defeated by a wide margin.


New York State Senate (2011–2016)

Martins won election to the New York State Senate in 2010 as the representative for
New York's 7th State Senate district New York's 7th State Senate district is one of 63 districts in the New York State Senate. It has been represented by Republican Jack Martins since 2023, following his defeat of incumbent Democrat Anna Kaplan. Geography District 7 covers northwest ...
. He defeated incumbent Democratic senator Craig M. Johnson by 451 votes. The election results were not certified until December 4, 2010. Johnson challenged the results and demanded a hand
recount An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election reco ...
, but the
New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...
rejected his appeal on December 20, 2010. As Senator, Martins voted for the law creating New York State's property tax cap, voted to cut income taxes for middle-class homeowners, voted to repeal the MTA payroll tax for small businesses and schools, and supported repealing the MTA payroll tax in its entirety. He authored laws reducing busing costs for school districts; creating a truss notification system to improve safety for volunteer firefighters; and establishing a new state fund to help homeless veterans. In 2011, Martins voted against allowing same-sex marriage in New York during rollcall for the Marriage Equality Act, which narrowly passed, legalizing it by 33 to 29. Martins was highly critical of the New York State Education Department's implementation of the Common Core standards and called for the resignation of the State's Commissioner of Education for cancelling public forums on the issue with parents and teachers. While in the Senate, Martins repeatedly led Long Island's 31 state legislators in the number of bills sponsored that were ultimately passed by both houses of the State Legislature. In February 2016, Martins and Assemblywoman
Michelle Schimel Michelle E. Schimel (born August 8, 1957) is a former Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 16th Assembly District in Nassau County from 2007 to 2016. Early life and education Schimel was born in Brooklyn, New Yo ...
called for new state funding to support a comprehensive groundwater study for Long Island. An expanded version of their proposal was adopted by Governor
Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...
. Martins sponsored legislation that would prevent New York from entering into a state contract or investment with those who boycott Israel or other American allies. Martins served as chairman of the State Senate's Labor Committee and was co-chair of the Senate's Task Force on Workforce Development. He previously chaired the Senate's Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee and the Senate's Local Government Committee. Martins also served on the New York State Mandate Relief Council, which was created to help reduce costs for local governments and school districts by eliminating or reforming regulations.


2016 congressional campaign

Martins was the Republican nominee in the 2016 election to represent
New York's 3rd congressional district New York's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in the State of New York. It is represented by Democrat Tom Suozzi, who has been in office since 2017. In the 2022 election, Republ ...
in the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, and received the endorsement of the Republican Party,
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
and the
Independence Party Independence Party may refer to: Active parties Outside United States * Independence Party (Egypt) * Estonian Independence Party * Independence Party (Finland) * Independence Party (Iceland) * Independence Party (Mauritius) * Independence Part ...
. Martins was defeated by Democrat
Thomas Suozzi Thomas Richard Suozzi (; born August 31, 1962) is an American politician, attorney and accountant who served as the U.S. Representative for from 2017 to 2023. His district included part of the North Shore of Long Island. A member of the Democrat ...
in the general election. Suozzi won 53% of the vote to Martins' 47%.


2017 Nassau County executive campaign

On April 26, 2017, Martins announced that he would run for Nassau County executive. Martins received the
GOP The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the Two-party system, two Major party, major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by Abolitionism in the United Stat ...
nomination for County Executive and was uncontested in the primary. Martins was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Nassau County legislator Laura Curran, in the November 7, 2017, election; Curran won 51% of the vote to Martins' 48%.


2023 congressional speculation

Amid calls for newly seated congressman
George Santos George Anthony Devolder Santos (; ; born July 22, 1988) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Santos was elected to Congress in 2022, after running unsuccessful ...
to resign, Martins was mentioned as a possible replacement.


Personal life

As of 2018, Martins is a board member of the Henry Viscardi School. He is a recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, the Lions Club's highest honor. He was honored as the 2012 Portuguese Man of the Year during Nassau County's first ever public event recognizing the Portuguese Community on Long Island. He and his wife, Paula, have four daughters.


Election results

*November 2017
General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, Nassau County Executive : * November 2016
General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, US House of Representatives, 3rd CD : * November 2014
General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, NYS Senate, 7th SD : * November 2012
General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, NYS Senate, 7th SD : * November 2010
General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, NYS Senate, 7th SD :


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martins, Jack M. 1967 births Living people American people of Portuguese descent Mayors of places in New York (state) New York (state) lawyers Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Long Island Catholics from New York (state) Chaminade High School alumni American University School of Public Affairs alumni St. John's University School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians