Spin Cycle

Democratic State Senate contender Brooke Ellison will be featured on the Today Show Thursday, only hours before she gets her party’s nomination.
Ellison, 27, a quadraplegic who graduated from Harvard University, is trying to become the first Democrat from Suffolk in 100 years to win a State Senate seat. Ellison and her mother have written a book and she has been the subject of a TV movie directed by the late Christopher Reeve.
Katie Couric interviewed Ellison last month and a camera crew from NBC News followed Ellison around for several days as the candidate met in the Second Senate District with firefighters and union officials. It is the second time Couric, who is departing soon to anchor the CBS Evening News, has interviewed Ellison. She first profiled her in 2000.
Ellison, who has pressed for funding for stem cell research, said she “honored her campaign is receving national attention.” She will watch a tape of the show at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the Islandia Mariott with other women candidates and political organizers, the same hotel where the party convention will be held.
Her opponent, State Sen. John Flanagan (R-Northport) said the Today Show has not contacted him for equal time. “I hope the interview goes well,” he said, ”With any luck, I’ll get to meet Katie Couric too.”

Rick Brand