Incumbent Congressman Gary Ackerman is running unopposed for re-election from the fifth congressional district, which covers northwestern Nassau County from Port Washington to Williston Park, and northeastern Queens. Ackerman has served this socioeconomically and ethnically diverse district since a redistricting in 2002; he was first elected to Congress in 1983.

Ackerman is very involved in the current crisis precipitated by North Korea's announcement that it had conducted a nuclear weapons test. Ackerman is a senior member of the House International Relations Committee, the ranking Democrat on the International Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, and the most recent Democrat to chair the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. In 1993 he was instrumental in negotiations with Korea's then-president Kim Il-Sung (father of the current president) that led to an agreement under which the communist nation agreed to stop building nuclear weapons and to allow international inspectors into the country. Ackerman recently held a press conference for community newspapers, including Korean-language papers, during which he gave a detailed and cogent analysis of the current situation in Korea. (Ackerman has a soft spot for community papers; in 1970 he founded the Jamaica Tribune, which became the Queens Tribune.) He pointed out that, from the time of the 1990s agreement until now, the Koreans did not test a nuclear device. Ackerman was of the opinion that, in the short term, stricter sanctions are necessary, but he pointed out that the United States must work with the international community to accomplish this. However, he said, "It is imperative that we talk to them eventually. But not right away. We need to let things settle down a little bit." He added, "Countries don't have friends; they have interests. We have to come together to meet our mutual needs."

When this reporter for Anton Newspapers asked Ackerman which of his many accomplishments he was most proud of, Ackerman quickly responded, "My grandchildren." (He has three.) On the legislative front, he mentioned the passage of legislation that mandates HIV testing of all newborns and disclosure of the results to the mother. (In New York and most other states babies were tested, but the results were not routinely disclosed to the mothers.) He said, "Since this legislation, we have practically eliminated HIV among newborns." Ackerman also pointed to his role in aiding thousands of Ethiopian Jews to relocate to Israel in the '80s as one of his major accomplishments.

As the congressional representative with more immigrants than any other mainland district except Miami, Ackerman is concerned about immigration policy. He said, "We have to control our borders." "But," he added, "immigrants have made this the great country that we are. They are not taking away American jobs. We need some kind of guest worker program." On a related note, Ackerman strongly believes that the federal government should raise the minimum wage. "You can't live on $5.15 an hour," he said.

On the local front, Ackerman asserts that he "strives to have the best constituent service in the nation." He also works to bring federal funds into the district for a variety of projects. Recently, the House of Representatives passed a bill of which Ackerman was an original composer that potentially brings $25 million to supplement conservation efforts on Long Island Sound, which he deemed "a national treasure."

Congressman Ackerman is running on the Democrat, Independence and Working Families Party lines. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.