Candidates Gear Up For Heated 1st Congressional District Race

LONG ISLAND, NY — After Nick LaLota won a Tuesday GOP primary by a wide margin to run for the 1st Congressional District seat currently held by Rep. Lee Zeldin, he and Democratic candidate Bridget Fleming spoke out on the race ahead.

According to a final tally of unofficial results posted by the Suffolk County Board of Elections, LaLota, of Amityville, won the race with 12,368 votes, or 47.03 percent. His opponent Anthony Figliola received 6,569, or 24.98 percent, and Michelle Bond received 7,289, or 27.71 percent.

He faces off against Democratic candidate Briget Fleming of Noyac in a run for the seat.

A release from LaLota's campaign Wednesday stated that "facing $3.3 million in outside spending from crypto-funded dark money PACs, LaLota overcame the deficit with grassroots energy, and a message laser-focused on combating inflation, expanding American energy production, and reducing taxes."

LaLota reflected on his win during his victory speech: "Here on Long Island, we know a thing or two about fights. We also know how expensive it can be to make ends meet here. Far too often, Long Island gets the short end of the stick in Washington. For every dollar in taxpayer revenue we send to DC we only get 93 cents back. I’ll fight to change that. In Congress, I will put Long Island first. I’ll back our police, restore the SALT Cap deduction, and fight tooth and nail to stop the Biden administration’s inflationary agenda that has made life here borderline unaffordable. Let’s put Long Island First."

He also set the stage for a heated campaign season: "My opponent Democrat Bridget Fleming has supported the Biden-Pelosi agenda, lock, stock, and barrel. Our contrast could not be clearer. I want to get inflation under control, reverse Biden’s tax hike, fire his IRS army, and back our police. Bridget Fleming supported the so-called Inflation Reduction Act that will raise your taxes at the worst possible time. She is just another career politician who has never met a tax increase that she didn’t like. She’ll be another rubber stamp for the Radical-left in Congress, and this November we must defeat her.”

Fleming, an incumbent Suffolk County legislator who also served as a Southampton Town councilwoman, also spoke out Wednesday.

“Voters in New York’s First Congressional District know it’s long past time that our community elected a congresswoman dedicated to solving problems, not exploiting them,” she said. “Nick LaLota wants to govern from the extremes. He has proven time and time again that he doesn’t know what’s right for our district."

She added: "From trying to defund the police, to weakening gun safety laws, to disenfranchising Suffolk County voters, and supporting efforts to strip women of their fundamental freedoms, LaLota is only committed to exploiting division and advancing his own dangerous agenda. As a former prosecutor, town board member, and current Suffolk County legislator, I know what Long Islanders expect and deserve from their representatives. I know how to work across the aisle to deliver the solutions people on Long Island need right now.”

Lalota is an 11-year Navy veteran, his bio states. His father was a Nassau County police officer and his grandfathers were NYPD officers. He is a Saint Anthony’s High School alumni and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. After returning home from three overseas deployments, Nick married his school sweetheart Kaylie; they are raising their three daughters in Amityville.

LaLota is also chief of staff to the Suffolk County Legislature, a former Amityville trustee, and former Republican Suffolk County Board of Elections commissioner.

"As an Amityville Village Trustee, Nick Lalota sought to breach certain provisions of the village's police union contract by denying full compensation to certain members of the department, and later tried to defund the police department altogether," Fleming fired back Wednesday. "As a commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections, he attempted to restrict access to the polls. He has made clear that he wants to restrict women from making fundamental decisions about their own health care. Lalota’s record shows that he will cater to the extreme elements of his party in order to advance his career. Bridget knows that this is not what the people of Suffolk County need."

Fleming's bio states that she is a "problem solver who has worked across the aisle to fully fund law enforcement, reduce costs like the cost of gas, balance budgets, and hold the line on taxes. She will reject extreme partisanship, and as she has done throughout her career, deliver honest and competent government for all constituents in New York’s 1st Congressional District."

Throughout her time in public office, Fleming said she has championed tax relief, environmental protection, and has been a steady presence for residents throughout and coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, she prosecuted violent crimes and fraud in public programs. Fleming lives in Noyac with her husband Bob and their son Jai.

After his win Tuesday, LaLota spoke out. "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."

Fleming ran 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.