Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy announced his candidacy for county executive on Monday.
Kennedy joins Suffolk Legislator Rob Trotta as the second GOP candidate in the race. They will challenge the current county executive, Democrat Steve Bellone.
Bellone has a sizeable advantage in his campaign account with around $2 million compared to Kennedy, who has about $120,000.
In his campaign announcement, Kennedy pointed to bond rating downgrades Suffolk has received since Bellone became executive in 2012.