A new column in The New York Times outlines how Democrats are building momentum on Long Island to flip critical seats from red to blue, highlighting New York’s Fourth Congressional District and New York’s First Congressional District.
After winning a hotly contested special election in New York’s Third Congressional District by more than 8 points just a few months ago, Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota’s increasing vulnerability is palpable while Democrats “in New York and Washington are drawing hope.”
In New York’s Third Congressional District, centered in northern Nassau County, Representative Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, is running for re-election. In the Fourth Congressional District, in southern Nassau County, Laura Gillen, a Democrat and former town supervisor, is hoping to unseat Anthony D’Esposito, a Republican. In the First Congressional District, farther east in Suffolk County, John Avlon, a journalist and Democrat, is challenging the incumbent Republican, Nick LaLota.
With Vice President Kamala Harris now leading the ticket, Democrats are sounding increasingly confident they can hold Mr. Suozzi’s seat, win back the Fourth District, and possibly even flip the First District.
The Democrats running in these races are well suited to represent Long Island residents from many backgrounds. Ms. Gillen, running to unseat Mr. D’Esposito, may be especially appealing to voters. She is a moderate and a former town supervisor in Hempstead who promoted ethics legislation and focused on local issues like improving roads. She has said she wants to continue to focus on local issues if elected to Congress, but she has also vowed to support abortion rights and promote gun safety.
Mr. D’Esposito has leaned heavily on his biography as a former detective in the New York Police Department. New York City settled a civil suit for $250,000 — but admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement — after Mr. D’Esposito was accused of lying under oath to a Manhattan grand jury, according to The Daily News. Ms. Gillen has capitalized on that record to accuse him of “a pattern of corruption, dishonesty and incompetence.”
A closer look at his [Nick LaLota’s] record shows that he has supported far-right measures that would hurt Suffolk County residents of all backgrounds. In one example, Mr. LaLota voted for legislation that would prevent noncitizens from being counted in the census, the kind of measure that could have led to less federal aid reaching his own district. In another example, he voted to block the Pentagon from carrying out a policy to help service members get access to abortion services and other forms of reproductive care. Support for abortion rights is strong on Long Island.
Democrats in New York and Washington are drawing hope — as well as lessons — from the win by Mr. Suozzi, a moderate Democrat, to replace the disgraced George Santos in a February special election. The race brought a flurry of the kind of campaigning usually reserved for swing states. Labor unions and environmental groups joined the effort. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent nearly $3.5 million on TV ads… Mr. Suozzi, who won the race by eight points, said he benefited handsomely… “It was unusual,” he told me. “And it was welcome.”
Democrats running for Congress in competitive seats on Long Island and in upstate New York will be able to tap in to many of the same sources of support. Importantly, Mr. Suozzi also went on the offensive on immigration issues in his last campaign, accusing Republicans of torpedoing the conservative compromise championed by the Republican senator James Lankford. The Democrats seeking to flip the Long Island seats this year have clearly taken note.
“We need to make sure we secure our border. We need to end the migrant crisis,” Ms. Gillen told me. “We need to make sure there is still a pathway to citizenship for those who come legally.”
Mr. Avlon said Mr. LaLota “took the knee” in deference to Mr. Trump by opposing the Lankford bill.
In this part of New York, that may be the kind of language it takes for Democrats to win.
