NY-01 Timothy Bishop (Dem.)
Election Facts
Length of Time In Office:
- 4th Term
- First Elected 2002
2008 Congressional Election Data:
- Tim Bishop (D-I-WFP): 162,083
- Lee Zeldin (R-C): 115,545
2008 Presidential Election Data:
- Obama: 165,805
- McCain: 153,419
District Demographics:
- Hispanic: 9.4%
- Asian: 3.3%
- White: 81.9%
- Black 4.0%
Report Card
No Downstate Democrat got tagged more by the tea party in 2009 and 2010 than Tim Bishop. And one of the top issues being shouted about by the tea party was immigration.
The First Congressional District is one of the swingiest in New York. It has regularly changed party representation over the last two decades, with one Congressman going so far as to save voters the time when he changed party registration himself!
The eastern Suffolk district is rated as exactly even by Cook’s, even though Republicans have an edge in voter registration. It is a tough district to win in and a tougher one to hold.
Tim Bishop came to politics from academia. He is thoughtful and well-liked among Hispanic voters. But he is always aware that the fate of others who have held his seat may one day be his own.
True to his background in education, Bishop has used his town meetings to encourage voters to learn more about the immigrant community. He has presented them with the facts about the emerging Latino population, but these have not always been met with appreciation by the organized anti-immigrant groups that thrive in central and eastern Suffolk County.
Nor have Bishop’s efforts been helped by failed gubernatorial candidate, County Executive Steve Levy. Levy has made a career of tarring local Latinos and their allies, like Bishop.
Bishop’s seemingly precarious political situation may have led him to vote against the interests of immigrants on two occasions. And, while local immigrant activists believe they have a genuine friend in Tim Bishop, he has not yet signed on as a cosponsor of the DREAM Act or of Luis Gutierrez’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP bill.
Voting Record
Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border Reference: Secure Fence Act; Bill H R 6061 ; vote number 2006-446 on Sep 14, 2006 Took the ANTI-Immigrant Position.
Voted YES on preventing tipping off Mexicans about Minuteman Project. Reference: Department of Homeland Security appropriations; Bill HR 5441 Amendment 968; vote number 2006-224 on Jun 6, 2006. Took the ANTI-Immigrant Position.
Voted NO on reporting undocumented immigrants who receive hospital treatment. Reference: Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments; Bill HR 3722 ; vote number 2004-182 on May 20, 2004. Took the PRO-Immigrant Position.
Contact Tim Bishop
Coram Office:
3680 Route 112, Suite C
Coram, NY 11727
(631) 696-6500
(631) 696-4520 (fax)
Southampton Office
137 Hampton Road
Southampton, NY 11968
(631) 259-8450
(631) 259-8451 (fax)
Washington Office:
306 Cannon H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3826
(202) 225-3143 (fax)
