NEW YORK — Democratic challenger Laura Gillen notched an upset Tuesday evening over first-term GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in New York Metropolis’s suburbs, flipping a extremely coveted seat in a racially various district spanning the South Shore of western Lengthy Island.
The win by Gillen, a former native authorities official, provides Democrats a much-needed increase of their quest to retake the Home and returns some partisan steadiness in a area largely ruled by Republicans at native and state ranges.
Gillen, beforehand the city of Hempstead’s supervisor, had narrowly lost a bid in opposition to D’Esposito for the seat in 2022.
D’Esposito, a freshman member of Congress and former NYPD detective, confronted scandal within the closing months of his marketing campaign after a September New York Times exposé revealed he had an affair and put his lover and his fiancee’s daughter on his payroll.
He has denied he violated Home ethics guidelines.
Gillen’s path to victory was paved by Democrats’ outreach to Black and Latino voters within the district, her argument that she’s higher positioned to work throughout the aisle and her message that her celebration cares about securing the border. Her prospects improved after Kamala Harris changed Joe Biden on the high of the Democratic ticket.
Congressional races on Lengthy Island, within the Hudson Valley and in central New York are anticipated to assist decide whether or not Mike Johnson or Hakeem Jeffries serves as speaker subsequent yr.
In 2022, D’Esposito flipped the NY-04 crimson after former Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice opted to not search reelection.
It made the district one in all a handful within the Home the place voters selected Biden in 2020 however elected a GOP Home member two years later. The victory was a part of a crimson wave that engulfed the state as Republicans flipped 4 New York Home seats crimson.
D’Esposito, who was instrumental in getting then-colleague Rep. George Santos expelled, was a face of the storied Nassau County Republican Social gathering and a pacesetter that Donald Trump touted when he visited the district in September.
As one of many few girls challengers Democrats floated within the battlegrounds of California and New York, Gillen proved to be a prolific fundraiser. She introduced in $2.4 million within the third quarter of her marketing campaign and $1.9 million within the second quarter.
Democratic assaults on D’Esposito usually targeted much less on the accusations of patronage and nepotism and extra on misconduct complaints in opposition to him that had been lodged throughout his days as a police officer. He was accused of lying under oath, a matter New York Metropolis settled with $250,000 in taxpayer cash, and he failed to secure his gun, which was stolen from him.
D’Esposito defended his police report of their sole debate. He accused Gillen of patronage and sought to make use of her report as city supervisor in opposition to her. He repeatedly attacked her as a liar, a gaslighter and somebody he described as ineffective within the Hempstead authorities the place they each served.
His advertisements focused Gillen as an ally of unpopular Democratic leaders, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams, who he and different weak New York Republicans painted as tender on migrants and crime.
“My opponent and Democrats all through the nation advised us that the border was safe, they usually stated that the economic system was booming,” D’Esposito stated at the News 12 debate. “Unexpectedly Kamala Harris turns into the nominee, and now they need to safe the border they usually need to repair the economic system. They’re mendacity to everybody.”
Gillen sought to color D’Esposito as enabling a extremely ineffective and dysfunctional Republican-controlled Congress, noting that Home Republicans rejected the Senate’s bipartisan border deal.
“You ship me to Congress,” she stated in one ad. “I’ll work with anybody from any celebration to safe our southern border, lock up criminals pushing fentanyl and cease the migrant disaster.”
The Democrat additionally insisted that the GOP incumbent would green-light a nationwide abortion ban supported by Speaker Johnson.
D’Esposito, like different reasonable Republicans combating for his or her political lives in blue states, stated he wouldn’t vote for a federal ban and accused Democrats of misrepresenting his views for political acquire.
Democratic leaders stumped within the district for Gillen over the course of the race. They included Home Minority Chief Jeffries, Home International Affairs Committee rating member Gregory Meeks and Home Minority Whip Katherine Clark.
