Kevin Thomas flipped a seat, but became a victim of redistricting

State Sen. Kevin Thomas was part of the 2018 “blue wave” during Donald Trump’s first term as president. He flipped a Long Island state Senate seat and helped Democrats win control of the chamber – a majority the party still holds. Now, Thomas is leaving office as Trump prepares to take office for a second time as both New York and Long Island are becoming less blue. Exiting office was not exactly by choice for the suburbanite, after he was convinced to drop a congressional bid and redistricting precluded him from running for his seat again. But with an uncertain future for Democrats ahead, Thomas is not ready to say goodbye to politics just yet. He’s already planning his next move, has plenty more opinions to share and isn’t ruling out a return to office someday. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

With all the political craziness happening, are you happy or sad to be leaving politics right now?

I am sad, because for the past six years, being in politics and being able to see that there is a problem and try to fix it. It was an honor of my life to do something like that. So it makes me sad to leave it.

Looking back to the past six years, what would you say your biggest accomplishments have been?

I have a few, starting out with being able to grapple with housing discrimination out here on Long Island after Newsday did a big expose about real estate agents steering potential homeowners based off of the color of their skin. My chairmanship on (the) Consumer Protection (Committee), being able to pass a number of bills into law that protected consumers. Then if we go into criminal justice stuff, I was able to pass Angelica’s Law where, if you are driving with a suspended license and you hurt somebody, that now becomes a felony. After the Buffalo shooting, it was my bill that raised the age to purchase a semiautomatic (gun) from 18 to 21. These are the big ones that I can think of off the top of my head. There are other smaller ones out there that have made an impact as well, but these are like the four main topics that I leave the Senate with. 

Is there any big, unfinished business that you’re leaving behind you hope someone will pick up?

My big one that I couldn’t pass in both houses is my data privacy bill. That was my big one. I did manage to pass it in the Senate this year and last year, but the Assembly sponsor was not moving it as hard.

How does that relate to the Safe for Kids Act?

That one’s specific to just kids, but we need to protect everybody, especially with the emergence of AI. We cannot live in a society where you have data that is just not correct, and then AI is used for different purposes, and it comes out with a bad result. We need more control over the data that’s being collected. We need to make sure that we as consumers know who’s buying this. and whether the information that is being collected is even correct.

What advice do you have for Siela Bynoe, your successor coming into the seat?

I would say, listen to your constituents. And also make sure that you have all the facts in front of you when you are pushing a bill. So that’s my advice. Always listen to the constituents.

Going back to your sadness to leave, how do you feel about your overall exit? Announcing for Congress, suspending the campaign and getting redistricted out of your seat?

It’s tragic, is the way I would put it. I love being a senator and the whole redistricting drama that played out, I turned into one of the victims of the mapmaker who sits in another state who does not understand how things operate around here. He wasn’t held accountable for what he was able to do. So yeah, it’s tragic.

Do you regret suspending your campaign? Laura Gillen was ultimately successful, but you chose not to compete in a primary.

I was approached by the party chair, asking me to back off of the primary. And he offered me something else instead. Who knows whether he will fulfill his promise or not. That’s up to him. But I wanted that seat to flip and given what was put in front of me as to, “Hey, if I go into a primary battle, we might hurt each other in the general.” My only thought was, we need to win this. And if I exit out and it’ll make it easier for Laura to win, then so be it – as long as the party chair fulfills the promise that he gave me.

Any additional information on what that promise was?

No, I can’t disclose that.

I guess that’s potentially what your next steps would be, what the future holds for Kevin Thomas.

Yes, it all depends on whether that is what is going to be happening in the next couple of months.

Would that keep you in politics in some kind of way?

Potentially, yes.

Do you want to remain in politics in some kind of way even if you’re not in elected office?

I like policymaking. I like making a difference. I like to be the voice of reason when there’s a lot of craziness that happens all around. I like that. From starting out as a freshman senator in 2019 to rising to the rank of the assistant majority leader and having chairmanship and being exposed to a lot of things that will allow you to make a good decision, this is what I like doing.

Would you run for office again if the opportunity arose?

Yes, absolutely.

What was it like for you coming into a new state Senate majority as part of the 2018 “blue wave,” and what are you predicting the state will be like as it’s returning to a similar federal landscape as when you were first elected?

In 2019 when we all came to the majority, especially for me who was never in politics before, I was a legal services attorney, it was – how would I describe it? Fire hose to the face kind of situation, where everything is coming at you all at once, and you need to make decisions. That’s how it felt. But in terms of the political environment, people in New York in 2018, when they voted us Dems into the majority, it was about economics. It was about immigration, just like in the national stuff. And we delivered. We delivered for them. We were able to do so much to change and improve lives. And we need to continue to listen to the people when it comes to pocketbook issues, when it comes to education, when it comes to health care options. We need to listen to the people, because sometimes we end up listening to advocates who may not have the best interest in what the outcome is.

Some Democrats assert that the party has focused too much on left-wing social and cultural issues – and your majority has certainly passed a lot of left-wing priorities. Do you think there is too much focus on those, or is there a balance between protecting or expanding rights, and listening to people about pocketbook issues.

I don’t think those are left-wing issues, though. Expanding abortion access, or passing (the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act). I don’t think those are left-wing issues. I think those are rights that individuals should have in the state and this country. So I wouldn’t say those are left wing. We are filling that gap where rights weren’t there or expansion wasn’t around. That’s the way I see it, and that’s why I voted in the affirmative on issues like that. But polling has shown that we have moved away from those kinds of issues to the pocketbook, to immigration, to public safety, and we need to continue to monitor and realize what the constituents are asking for now versus before. The focus should be on what they need at this moment going forward, and that’s how governance should proceed.

Do you think Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman might run for governor, and does that prospect concern you?

I think he would be one of the top choices for the Republican Party to run against the current governor, and given the trend that we’ve seen in the last two elections, I think it’s a possibility that we might see a Republican government.

Looking back on your tenure, what do you think you’ll miss most about being in office?

I’m going to miss my colleagues. When you’re with like-minded people, and you get to share stories and problems and solutions and you fight together as one team. That’s kind of like what I’m going to miss about the Legislature, whether they are my Democratic conference buddies or my Republican conference buddies. You know that’s what I’m going to miss.

As someone who came into office new to politics, what is your advice to someone who might be thinking about entering politics for the first time?

A decision to run is no easy decision, and it is hard when you get into office. This is no easy thing. But when you get to pass something that is near and dear to you, and you can see the impact it has made on those you’re trying to protect. It’s worth the hard work, it’s worth the stress. It is worth everyone scrutinizing you and criticizing you and doing all the crazy things that they do in campaigns to take you down. But once you get into office and you’re able to make that difference, it’s all worth it. So to those who are thinking about running, kudos to you.