Background: Raia, 50, of East Northport, a Republican, is also running on the Conservative, Reform and Independence party lines. He is seeking his ninth term. Raia is the ranking minority member on the Health Committee and minority whip. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science at SUNY New Paltz. Raia is a member of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society; Knights of Columbus Father Thomas A. Judge Council in East Northport; and the Sons of Italy Constantino Brumidi Lodge in Deer Park.

Issues: Raia said he will continue to focus on the heroin and opioid crisis and MS-13 gang violence. He said the state should consider opening unused wings at the Pilgrim Psychiatric Hospital in Brentwood to help alleviate the lack of treatment beds. "The state could open a wing or two until the $200 million we've appropriated for nonprofits trickles down," Raia said. "They {nonprofits} can't build beds anyway, and it's one way to get people help more quickly." In combating gang violence, Raia said the addition of more resources and the task force is helping, and he will look for more ways to offer gang diversion programs. "I work with everybody and understand my limits as a minority in the Assembly," Raia said. He said he will team with other legislators on bills to soften the blow if LIPA prevails in its request to significantly reduce its tax assessment on the Northport Power Plant. "It doesn't just affect Northport," he said, "it's a regional issue – there are aging power plants going offline all over the state, so I will work with other legislators and push for it to be handled in the executive budget."

Background: Rosen, 64, of Centerport, is running on the Democrat line. . Rosen previously ran for office in the 10th Assembly District in 1996 against the late Jim Conte. He is a bankruptcy lawyer. He previously was an outreach drug counselor. Rosen earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary social science at SUNY Old Westbury, and his law degree at Hofstra Law. He served for nine years on the Huntington Planning Board and serves on the Huntington Youth Bureau's Sanctuary Advisory Board, which assists youth between the ages of 12 and 21 who run away or are at risk of running away from home. He also helped form LI Dog, an organization that advocates for dog parks on Long Island. Rosen is married and has two adult children.

Issues: Rosen said he would like to address state gun laws after school shootings such as the one at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.,  a shooting earlier this year that claimed 17 lives. He noted he also supports the Red Flag Gun Protection Bill, which would prevent people who are determined by a court to have the potential to cause harm to themselves or others from buying or possessing any kind of firearm. The bill passed in the Assembly, but did not make it to the floor in the Senate in June. "This is a good time for me to run," Rosen said. "I can devote the time to it." He also said he wants to get involved in the LIPA tax certiorari case where the company seeks to have the Northport Power Station reassessed. If LIPA and National Grid are successful, the assessment on the power plant will be lowered, resulting in a higher tax rate.