Legislator Bridget Fleming Seeks To Unseat Congressman Lee Zeldin

LONG ISLAND, NY — A Suffolk County legislator from the East End is seeking to unseat Rep. Lee Zeldin in the 2020 election.

On Tuesday, Bridget Fleming, a Democrat from Southampton, announced that she is entering the race to unseat Zeldin, a Republican from Shirley, in the 1st Congressional District.

Fleming joins declared candidates Zeldin, Perry Gerson (D) — Gershon ran an unsuccessful race against Zeldin in 2018 — David Gokhshtein (I) and Nancy Goroff (D).

Fleming announced her intention to run in a Facebook post Tuesday.

"Long Island — I'm running for Congress! Lee Zeldin has spent more time joining those who are circling their wagons around President Trump than he has looking out for the communities in our district," she said. "It's time we turn the tide. I've fought for this district for years and I'm ready to deliver for it in Washington."

A former prosecutor and local legislator Fleming said her goal in Washington is "not to be part of the free for all" but instead, to be "someone who remembers who sent her there — someone with a record of delivering for constituents. . . If we work together we can get Congress delivering together again for us."

Fleming, a Democrat, is married with a teenage son. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hunter College's Special Honor Curriculum, J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. Currently serving a second term as Suffolk County Legislator for the 2nd District, she also was first elected to the Southampton town board in a special election in March, 2010 and won reelection in 2011 for a four-year term. She won her bid for for re-election to the Suffolk County Legislator earlier this month against challenger and former Southampton Town Supervisor Linda Kabot.

Former Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst also waged a campaign against Zeldin in 2016 but was unsuccessful.

Speaking to Patch Tuesday morning, Fleming said she felt a compelling need to enter the race.

"The stakes are too high at this point for me to stay on the sidelines," she said. "Many people have been encouraging me to step into the arena."

While she said she respects the other candidates and admires them for stepping up, Fleming said she believes her experience as a criminal prosecutor, as well as 10 years in public service on the Southampton Town board and in the Legislature, have uniquely qualified her for the position. "I believe I'm the best person to provide an alternative" to Zeldin, who she said "spends the bulk of his time circling the wagons around the President."

Zeldin has made headlines recently for his staunch alliance to Trump. Recently, Donald Trump Jr. showed support with news that he would attend, as a special guest, a fundraiser for Zeldin in St. James.

Fleming said she has "run and won some tough races" and achieved important accomplishments for the communities she serves, "even when it's difficult. Over the years, my team and I have found ways to tackle tough problems while working with stakeholders across the aisle. We need to bring that kind of representation back to the district."

The legislator points to past achievements, such as her work on clean water and the water crisis that "we face as a community." She also outlined efforts to build the economy, to focus on infrastructure investments, and to address both affordable housing and public transportation, with an eye toward keeping young, working-aged individuals on Long Island. "I have a record of accomplishment in those areas, areas I'd like to see Washington focused on in our district," she said.

Under Zeldin, she added, "We don't have the representation we deserve as a community." Because of her experience championing her constituents, Fleming said she believes she is the best person to meet the challenge.

Before the recent election, Fleming spoke to Patch about the issues she deemed most important.

"Protecting our sole-source aquifer is a top priority, which is why I support the move toward the adoption of new technology for septic systems that will help protect us and future generations from excess nitrogen and other pollutants in our drinking water. I have fought for funding and swift remediation of groundwater contamination throughout the district, especially from the emerging contaminants PFOS and PFOA. I have advocated for the adoption of a Maximum Contaminant Load (MCL) at the state level, for these compounds and 1,4 dioxane, in the face of inaction by the federal EPA," she said.

She also said access to public transportation, affordable housing to keep working families and individuals in the community, and combating tick-borne diseases are all issues she is proud to have advanced and will continue to address.

Fleming also cited experience she gained through her work as an Assistant District Attorney, Southampton Town councilperson, and Suffolk County legislator, all of which "have made me an effective public servant. I understand and value the responsibility of serving in public office. I believe in an efficient government that works for the people. As an Assistant District Attorney in the office of legendary District Attorney Robert Morgenthau in Manhattan, I served as a member of a trial bureau, the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, and later as the chief of a unit devoted to attacking fraud in public programs.

"During my time serving as a Southampton Town councilperson, I worked to create and enhance economic opportunities throughout the town, with youth training in sustainable building trades and fresh produce retailing, landmark legislation to protect working farms, and real action on much-needed affordable housing development.

"As a county legislator, I was a leader in the working group that drafted the first sanitary code revisions in 30 years to allow nitrogen removing systems to replace outdated on-site septic systems that leach nitrogen to groundwater and surface water. I have been a leading voice against cuts to public bus service, and established the public transportation working group in response to the elimination of eight bus routes in October 2016."

Goroff, a second Democratic challenger, formerly served as Stony Brook University’s chemistry department chair; Gokhshtein is an influencer, a cryptocurrency investor and entrepreneur.

A media representative for Zeldin, when asked for comment, responded via email: "Right now, Congressman Zeldin's focus far and away is on his job representing his constituents of NY-1. House Democrats should follow suit and pass USMCA, lower the cost of prescription drugs and fix our nation’s outdated infrastructure. Congressman Zeldin is committed to delivering results, and, whether it's ensuring East End employers have the workforce they need or bolstering our communities' maritime infrastructure, his effectiveness is indisputable. He’ll continue to focus on driving down the cost of living, bolstering our communities' crumbling infrastructure, like Dune Road, and so many other important issues."