Meet Pat Halpin.

Pat at home in his kitchen

Childhood & Learning the Value of Work

Patrick grew up on the South Shore learning the value of hard work early. As a kid, he rode his bike delivering the Suffolk Sun in the morning and the Long Island Press in the afternoon. Summers meant painting and cleaning classrooms, scraping gum from the bottoms of desks, and earning every dollar. When he turned 10 years old he spent weekends helping his father at the Stony Brook Beverage, sorting empty beer and soda deposits. He followed the rite of passage of many teens working the counter at the McDonald’s on Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst. But even at that age, Pat was a voracious reader of newspapers and history, deeply curious about both local affairs and global events. At West Babylon High School, he served as student body president—and when 18-year-olds gained the right to vote, Pat organized a field trip for 450 seniors to the Board of Elections in Yaphank so they could register. He grew up on Long Island, built his life here, and raised a family and two daughters in his favorite place on earth.

Public Service & Breaking Barriers

Discussing economic development with Senator Moynihan

Pat spent his public service career getting things done—without partisanship or excuses. Now, he’s running for Congress to fight against billionaire tax breaks and special interests to help bring down costs for the hard working folks on the South Shore.

First elected to public office at just 26, Pat began his career representing LD-13 (Lindenhurst, West Babylon and Wyandanch) in the County Legislature before breaking barriers as the first Democrat in more than a century elected to represent the Town of Babylon in the NY State Assembly. He went on to make history again as the youngest Suffolk County Executive ever elected, where he focused relentlessly on public safety, affordability, education, and protecting Long Island’s natural resources.

As County Executive, he created the Long Island Housing Partnership to expand housing options for families, seniors and veterans; launched community-based policing and anti-domestic-violence initiatives; and partnered with schools to bring drug education and prevention programs directly into classrooms. He also led one of the nation’s most respected open-space preservation efforts—protecting parks, wetlands, beaches and the pine barrens that define life on Long Island.

Protecting our Drinking Water for Generations

Pat as Chairman of the Suffolk Water Authority

Pat later brought that same results-driven leadership to his role as Chair of the Suffolk County Water Authority where he set the standard for the best drinking water in the nation. Under his leadership, the Authority strengthened transparency, cut waste and took aggressive action to safeguard Long Island’s sole-source aquifer—because on Long Island, water isn’t just infrastructure. It’s life.

Media, Civics & Responsible Development

In addition to his public service, Pat has worked to strengthen civic life and public understanding. He hosted current events TV shows like Meet the Leaders on Cablevision, Face-Off on PBS and News Talk Television, a nationally syndicated public-affairs program.

He chaired the Town of Babylon Industrial Development Agency, focused on bringing strong union jobs to Babylon, and currently serves as Chair of the Town of Babylon Planning Board, helping ensure responsible re-development of neglected areas such as Montauk Highway that respects the community while supporting downtown revitalization.

Delivering Real Results for the South Shore

Pat with With Congressman Tom Downey and Vice President Al Gore

Pat knows every corner of this district. He knows the firefighters, police officers, construction workers, families, civic groups and small-business owners who work hard every day to make the South Shore such a special place to live—and how hard it has become for too many young graduates, families and seniors to afford to stay.

Now, Pat is running for Congress to deliver real results—just as he always has. While Washington has grown more dysfunctional and out of touch with the needs of everyday people, Pat believes leadership still means showing up, doing the work, and fighting for people, not corporate special interests. For Pat, it’s People, not Politics.

Long Island deserves better than a representative who’s missing in action. Pat's fired up and ready to go to Washington to focus on making life better for our South Shore communities from Massapequa to Mastic Beach.