Laura Gillen declared victory Tuesday night in one of the most closely contested House elections in the state, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito and flipping Long Island’s District 4 back to Democrats.
Gillen celebrated as the polls showed she had a tight, less than two-point lead over D’Esposito with nearly all the ballots counted.
“In this campaign, the voters of this district chose common sense over chaos and corruption,” Gillen said on social media. “It is the honor of my lifetime to be the next Congresswoman from the Fourth Congressional District.”
Gillen’s victory in the highly competitive rematch comes two years after losing the district race in what many saw as a fumble from the state Democratic Party.
New York’s District 4 historically votes blue: In 2020, President Biden won it by more than 14 points. However, in 2022, D’Esposito beat Gillen for the seat — landing the district in Republican hands for the first time in decades.
The race, on the the South Shore of Long Island, had drawn high-power elected officials on both sides to campaign, including Democratic Reps. Hakeem Jeffries for Gillen and House Speaker Mike Johnson for D’Esposito.
D‘Esposito, a former NYPD officer and Hempstead Council member, has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and spoke at Trump’s Nassau County rally in September.
The freshman rep came under fire after the New York Times reported that he had an affair, and then put both his mistress and his longtime fiancée’s daughter on his payroll.
Gillen, a former Hempstead town supervisor, has presented herself as a moderate, campaigning on abortion rights as well as restricting immigration.
“We’re 2,000 miles from Mexico, but we’re feeling the migrant crisis almost every day,” the candidate says in a political ad. “So I want you to hear me loud and clear: You send me to Congress, I will work with anyone in any party to secure our southern border, lock up criminals pushing fentanyl and stop the migrant crisis.”
On Tuesday, Gillen cast her ballot, reportedly saying she felt confident in her race — but repeatedly refused to answer how she voted on ballot Proposal 1, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
