“John Avlon has dedicated his life to calling out extremism at every turn and fighting for our democracy. In Congress, John will continue to do just that, which is exactly the type of independent representation Suffolk County voters deserve and need. Meanwhile, Nick LaLota has proved time and again his loyalty belongs only to the most far-right, dangerous factions of his party. He has consistently done their bidding in Congress by voting to defund law enforcement, restrict abortion rights, and enable corruption. Suffolk County will reject LaLota’s shameful record in November,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties From: Ellie Dougherty, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 25, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Nick LaLota
New York’s First Congressional District is a true swing seat in a presidential year. Last cycle, Nick LaLota was able to distance himself from MAGA Republicans in Washington. Now, LaLota is having to answer for an extreme record that’s wildly out of touch with Suffolk County families while facing a challenge from John Avlon – a political pragmatist focused on bipartisan solutions, and a prolific fundraiser who has amassed criticallocalandnational support.
Long Islanders can count on John Avlon to be an independent fighter for them in Congress. As a native New Yorker and the grandson of immigrants, John has a deep love for our country and the East End of Long Island in particular. In books, columns, and on TV, he’s consistently called out extremism and advocated for the need to bring together people of good faith to solve urgent problems.
John will continue to do the same in Congress. He’ll fight back against MAGA extremism to protect women’s reproductive rights, the environment, and our democracy. John will also work towards a bipartisan solution to fix the border, lower taxes, and improve Suffolk County’s infrastructure.
Suffolk County voters deserve better than LaLota’s shameful record. After winning the most competitive special election of the 2024 cycle on Long Island by an eight point margin, Democrats have a prime opportunity to flip New York’s First Congressional District. John Avlon is a common sense Democrat and the right general election candidate to do just that.
PLAYS POLITICS WITH THE BORDER AND PUBLIC SAFETY
Nick LaLota has a long history of attacking law enforcement. As the Amityville Village’s Trustee, LaLota called for cutting police wages and went so far as to push for abolishing the Amityville Police Department. On the campaign trail in 2022, Nick LaLota campaigned on public safety and securing the border, but in Congress, he’s done nothing to look out for the safety of Suffolk County families – per Trump’s orders in an election year – and instead has gone out of his way to defund local and federal law enforcement multiple times.
First, he voted for the ‘Default on America Act’ – a dangerous piece of legislation that would have cut up to $10 billion from federal law enforcement agencies and jeopardized nearly 30,000 law enforcement officer roles. Then, he voted for Republicans’ failed government funding bill which would have cut a wide array of law enforcement programs by nearly 30%, including cutting thousands of federal law enforcement positions and hundreds of state and local public safety officers. Despite publicly pledging to support law enforcement officers, LaLota also accepted a donation from an alleged insurrectionist accused of attacking police with insecticide.
As the cherry on top, LaLota’s Republican Study Committee released a radical budget that would defund the COPS program, which for decades has supported efforts to improve community policing, recruit and retain local police officers, fight the addiction crisis, and help prevent violence in schools. In 2023 alone, the program granted more than $6.7 million to municipalities in New York to hire more police officers.
Nick LaLota’s reckless and dangerous cuts to law enforcement aren’t the only ways he’s made Long Island communities less safe – he’s also played politics with border security at every turn. When Congress had the best opportunity in a generation to pass bipartisan border legislation that was negotiated in the Senate, LaLota rejected it after Trump urged House Republicans to kill the bill.
No amount of political stunts can change the fact that Nick LaLota has actively chosen fidelity to his extreme party bosses over working to find bipartisan solutions – and consequently turned a blind eye to Suffolk County communities along the way.
AN ANTI-CHOICE EXTREMIST
Nick LaLota has repeatedly voted for or backed several extreme anti-abortion efforts in Congress.
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, LaLota doubled down on wanting to take away women’s freedom to decide how and when they start a family by applauding the disastrous Supreme Court decision as a “step in the right direction” on his campaign website – but was caught scrubbing the praise after he tried to soften his anti-choice extremism for political expediency.
Once he got to Congress, LaLota didn’t even try to hide his anti-abortion stances, immediately voting multiple times to restrict reproductive freedom. As one of his first votes in Congress, Nick LaLota voted for a bill to establish new criminal penalties for doctors – even going as far as to include jail time. LaLota then voted for an extreme amendment to the defense bill that would restrict reproductive health care nationally for service members and their families.
LaLota’s blatant allegiance to anti-choice extremism falls in line with his devout loyalty to Donald Trump – who openly brags about being responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade. It’s also extremely out of touch with the majority of voters who support upholding abortion rights, especially in New York.
John Avlon not only stands with voters, but has championed efforts to protect a woman’s right to choose amid continued GOP attacks on reproductive freedom – and has pledged to continue to do so in Congress on behalf of New York’s First Congressional District.
ENABLES WASHINGTON CORRUPTION
At every turn, Nick LaLota has enabled corruption in Congress. But before LaLota even got to Washington, Suffolk County voters had enough reason already to distrust him.
As elections commissioner for Suffolk County, LaLota was accused of disenfranchising voters when he ended a walk-in absentee voting program – which prompted the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County and other county officials to intervene to get the order reversed. And as a New York State Senate candidate, a state court removed LaLota from the ballot while he tried to defend what was an “obvious conflict of interest” while keeping his taxpayer-funded job with a $152,906 salary as the Suffolk County elections commissioner.
In Congress, LaLota’s knack for enabling corruption has continued. First, he’s had multiple ethics complaints filed against him, including for allegedly failing to file complete financial disclosure reports. Then, most egregiously, LaLota was exposed for being ensnared in the controversy surrounding serial liar George Santos’ shady financial schemes, including using Santos’ accountant Thomas Datwyler, who allegedly tried to cover up his role handling Santos’ finances, as his own campaign treasurer.
In contrast, John Avlon has been a beacon for transparency and good government. Throughout his career, John has called out disinformation and been a voice for our democracy. He got in the race to represent New York’s First Congressional District because he knows Suffolk County families deserve honest representation, and he’ll continue fighting corruption in Congress.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
POLITICO: Santos’ shadow looms over fellow freshmen [POLITICO, 11/01/23]
“Remember the accountant who said Santos wrongly listed him as treasurer back in January? … And the lawyer for campaign treasurer Thomas Datwyler just rescinded his January statements that claimed Datwyler had been played by Santos, the Daily Beast reported, saying that actually, it looks like Datwyler had played the Federal Election Commission. And the public.
Datwyler isn’t some fringe character desperate for a paycheck.
He’s also the campaign treasurer for Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota, two Long Island Republican first-year members who’ve been eager to distance themselves from Santos.”
The East Hampton Star: The LaLota Lines Up Behind Trump [The East Hampton Star, 01/22/24]
City & State: NY swing district Republicans are less neutral on abortion than they promised [City & State, 07/24/23]
Newsday: Grave anti-police charges for back-the-blue GOP donor [Newsday, 06/08/23]
“Like countless local businessmen, Long Island undertaker Peter Moloney has long appeared on official lists of contributors to regional and national politicians. In this case, both the donor and some of his recipients stand out as especially newsworthy.
“Moloney, 58, of Bayport, was charged this week with assaulting law-enforcement officers and other crimes during the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection aimed at keeping President-elect Joe Biden from succeeding Donald Trump. Described as co-owner of Moloney Family Funeral Homes, the defendant allegedly sprayed insecticide at the faces and bodies of police officers, according to court papers filed in Washington.
“Those are by far the largest of Moloney’s donations, overwhelmingly to Republicans, during Trump’s term of office. Others included $1,000 to Rep. Nick LaLota last year when he was seeking his first term.”
LA Times: Republicans’ 2025 agenda tells you how they really feel about crime and cops [LA Times, 04/30/24]
“Given its members’ rhetoric about crime and public safety, it might surprise you to discover that the Republican Study Committee just released a new budget proposal for 2025 that actually cuts funding meant for local police departments…
“You cannot have it both ways. You can’t be pro-cop and pro-public safety while backing a proposal that undermines local law enforcement’s ability to police crime. The hypocrisy is staggering, albeit, hardly surprising.
“Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) proudly proclaimed: ‘I proudly support our Police Officers and Law and Order. Do you?’
“Looking over the budget proposal you just backed, Nick, it’s a good question to ask — do you?”
New York Post: Ex-CNN anchor John Avlon backed by big-name Dems in LI Congress bid [New York Post, 05/29/24]
“Reps. Tom Suozzi, Gregory Meeks and Dan Goldman are getting behind Avlon in the 1st Congressional District, which covers the East End and other parts of Suffolk County…
“Prior to LaLota’s election, the 1st District was represented for eight years by Lee Zeldin, the 2022 Republican candidate for governor.
“The trio of Dems believes an Avlon would give Democrats a better chance of flipping the seat — and with it, the House of Representatives.”
PATH TO VICTORY
New York’s First Congressional District is one of the most competitive districts in the country. While redistricting tilted this swing district ever so slightly conservative, it’s a true toss up in a presidential year.
With John Avlon as the general election candidate, Democrats have a real chance at picking up this seat. Between his powerful fundraising and consolidating local and national grassroots support, John is building a strong operation to win over Suffolk County voters who have been let down by Nick LaLota – a MAGA extremist who boasts a shameful anti-cop, anti-choice, and anti-voter record and refuses to work across the aisle to find tough solutions to urgent problems.
John’s undoubtable strength as a candidate will win over Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike – and ultimately be the reason New York’s First Congressional District flips from red to blue.
