Susan Berland, a former Suffolk County legislator, will run for the State Senate in the 2nd District against State Sen. Mario Mattera, R-St. James.
She was one of several candidates announced Monday by Democrats who scrambled to adjust their candidates after a battle over seats growing out of election district changes.
Berland, D-Dix Hills, previously was a member of the Huntington Town Board before being elected to the Suffolk County Legislature in 2018, where she served as majority leader. She was defeated for re-election in 2021 by Manny Esteban.
Under redistricing, the Second District, represented by Mattera, expanded farther west into Huntingon. State Sen. Jim Gaughran, who currently represents the Fifth District, lives in Northport and would have had to run against Mattera in the Second. After briefly considering that race, Gaughran announced he would not run for the State Senate.