Nick LaLota Wins GOP Primary For NY 1st Congressional District Race

LONG ISLAND, NY — Nick LaLota emerged victorious in the GOP primary for the 1st Congressional District race this November.

"Thank you, Suffolk County. Tonight we celebrate a win against $3 million in outside special interests," LaLota, of Amityville, said on Twitter. "Tomorrow, we fight for our community and country against the Biden-Pelosi agenda. Together, we’ll stand up for hard-working Long Island families and always put #LongIsland First."

Three candidates faced off for the GOP primary in the 1st Congressional district, including LaLota; chief of staff to the Suffolk County Legislature, former Amityville trustee, and former Republican Suffolk County Board of Elections commissioner; Anthony Figliola, of East Setauket, a former deputy supervisor of Brookhaven Town; and Michelle Bond, of Port Jefferson, a leader of the Association for Digital Asset Markets.

According to Newsday, LaLota declared victory after a consistent lead by a wide margin. AP Politics also confirmed the win.

LaLota, who received the endorsement of the Suffolk County GOP, started off with a strong lead.

With 561 districts reported and 5 not yet in, according to unofficial results reported by the Suffolk County Board of Elections, LaLota garnered 12,271 votes, or 46.99 percent. Figliola received 6,549, or 25.08 percent, and Bond had 7,222, or 27.65 percent.

The Democratic primary was canceled and incumbent Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming is now running unopposed for the congressional seat.!

The candidates are vying for the seat vacated by Zeldin, (R-Shirley), who has led the district since 2015 after defeating former Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst. Zeldin recently won a GOP primary and will be vying to unseat incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul in the November election.

The redistricting of the 1st District sparked some controversy and a lawsuit, leading to the lines being redrawn by a court-ordered special master and also led to separate primary days for U.S. House of Representatives and New York State Senate, on August 23, and the primaries for the gubernatorial and New York State Assembly races, which were held on June 28.

Suffolk County communities in the 1st district include the East End — East Hampton Town, Southampton Town, Westhampton, Hampton Bays, the North Fork, Shelter Island and Riverhead — and parts of Brookhaven Town including Manorville, Ridge, Rocky Point, Port Jefferson, Coram, Brookhaven, Bellport, Huntington, Mastic-Shirley, Smithtown, Lake Ronkonkoma and Patchogue.