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Which party should control the US House?
- Republicans
- Democrats
- Other
- Undecided
Below are the four congressional races that will be decided by Nassau and Suffolk county voters this Election Day.
1st District: Nick LaLota vs. John Avlon
Incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota is hoping to defend his 1st District seat from Democratic challenger John Avlon. The district includes the eastern two-thirds of Suffolk County.
The 46-year-old LaLota is a US Navy veteran who received a law degree from Hofstra University. He previously worked as the chief of staff to the Suffolk County Legislature, commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections, and chief of staff to a New York State Senator.
Responding to a survey for Ballotpedia, LaLota said his top priorities are securing the border, withholding federal funding from sanctuary cities, like New York City, that intend to use funds on non-US nationals, and restoring the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction.
The 51-year-old Avlon is a former political analyst at CNN who previously served as a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun. He was also the chief speech writer for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Avlon has vowed to defend abortion rights at the federal level in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.
He also called for addressing the affordability crisis by increasing the Child Tax Credit and proposed more investments in climate change mitigation and water quality protection in Suffolk County.
Avlon wants to see Congressional action to address gun violence, including violent history checks before all gun purchases, and wants to restore the assault weapons ban and crack down on untraceable “ghost” guns.
The most recent Siena College/Newsday poll showed LaLota leading Avlon by three percentage points, 47- to 44-percent.
2nd District: Andrew Garbarino vs Rob Lubin
Incumbent Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino is hoping to defend his 1st District seat from Democratic challenger Rob Lubin. The district includes the South Shore of Long Island.
The 40-year-old Garbarino, an attorney who obtained his law degree from Hofstra University, previously served as the New York State Assemblyman for the 7th district from 2013 to 2020. He was elected to Congress in 2020.
Among the top issues listed on his campaign website are border security, supporting veterans, and targeted aid to small business owners.
The 30-year-old Rubin, a 2017 graduate of George Washington University, is a small business owner and entrepreneur.
Among his top priorities, should he win, are healthcare and women’s rights.
3rd District: Tom Suozzi vs Michael LiPetri Jr.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi is hoping to defend his 3rd District seat from Republican challenger Michael LiPetri Jr. The district includes part of the North Shore, as well as portions of Nassau County and Queens.
The 62-year-old Suozzi, who previously represented the district from 2017 to 2023, won a special election to fill the seat in February 2024 after former Rep. George Santos was expelled from Congress amid federal charges of fraud and identity theft.
Among his top issues, according to Ballotpedia, are protecting the environment, gun safety, abortion rights, and caring for veterans.
The 34-year-old LiPetri is an attorney and former New York State Assemblyman for the 9th district. He graduated from Albany Law School in 2015 and worked as an assistant corporation counsel for the New York City Law Department.
Among his top issues are expanding legal pathways for merit-based immigration, repealing the State and Local Tax (SALT) cap, and encouraging entrepreneurship.
Suozzi led LiPetri by 14 points, 51- to 37-percent, in a McLaughlin & Associates poll released in July.
4th District: Anthony D’Esposito vs Laura Gillen
Incumbent Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito is hoping to defend his 4th District seat from Democratic challenger Laura Gillen. The district includes central and southern Nassau County.
A native of Island Park, the 42-year-old D’Esposito was a police officer with the NYPD’s 73rd Precinct Detective Squad, Military and Extended Leave Desk. He worked for the department from 2006 until his retirement in 2020.
In 2016, he was appointed as a councilman on the Hempstead town council and won a full term the following year. He served on the council until his election to Congress in 2022.
D’Esposito has stated he’s seeking re-election to continue fighting for “commonsense Long Island values,” and that voters see him as “more moderate” compared to Democrats.
"Many people feel the Democrats in New York have gone too far to the left. They’ve seen the implementation of cashless bail,” he told Roll Call. “They’ve seen the state legislature really try to change suburban communities into what we see in the five boroughs.”
In September, D’Esposito denied reporting by The New York Times that he gave his mistress and his fiancée’s daughter jobs in his district office.
He allegedly paid them nearly $30,000 in taxpayer funds in a violation of House ethics rules, the outlet reports.
D’Esposito’s opponent, Democrat Laura Gillen, served as Hempstead town supervisor from 2018 to 2020. The 55-year-old has worked as an attorney and as an adjunct law professor at Hofstra University.
She stated she’s running to “reclaim” Long Island’s tradition of bipartisan representation after criticizing D’Esposito as “more focused on partisan voters, rather than working for the district.”
The race was razor thin heading into Election Day; D’Esposito led Gillen by just a single percentage point, 46- to 45-percent, according to a Gotham Polling & Analytics poll released in late October.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
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