Anthony D'Esposito, Laura Gillen in competitive race for New York's 4th Congressional District
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Rep. Anthony D'Esposito is facing off against Laura Gillen in New York's 4th Congressional District race on the South Shore of Long Island's Nassau County.
It's a district that has bounced from red to blue for decades. It flipped to red in 2022, and is one of 43 seats nationally that are considered the most competitive in the battle for the House majority. The 4th Congressional District is the most diverse suburban district in New York.
Gillen, 55, lost the same race two years ago by only 10,000 votes.
"These are the swing district, purple places that typically decide who gets the keys to the White House and who gets the gavel in Congress," Hofstra University suburban studies chair Lawrence Levy said.
D'Esposito, 42, cast his ballot Tuesday morning in Island Park. He gave a thumbs up as he did so.
"I think we're going to see Republicans do very well across the island, and I think tonight we're going to have a big celebration," D'Esposito said.
"We think people in this district are ready for a change. They're ready for someone to reach across the aisle and get things done for them," Gillen said.
A closer look at Laura Gillen
Gillen is an attorney, mother of four, and former supervisor of the Town of Hempstead, the largest township in America. She came in as the only Democrat in a century with ethics reforms and spending cuts. She took a page out of the handbook of Tom Suozzi, from the congressional district to the north. She has said she's looking for those who want common sense solutions, common ground, and an end to name calling. She has taken a tough stand on immigration and crime as a moderate Democrat.
"It's going to be my priority on day one to make sure that we start working towards comprehensive immigration reform. We need to secure our border, we need to make sure there's a pathway to citizenship for those who want to come here legally to incentivize them to come the proper way, and we need to fix our asylum system. And this kind of change should be bipartisan," Gillen said.
A closer look at Anthony D'Esposito
D'Esposito, of Island Park, is a former cop who led the charge to oust George Santos. He currently serves as the chairman in the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology, House Homeland Security, Transportation and Infrastructure, and House Administration committees. He has focused a lot of his campaign on immigration and border control.
He's now fending off his own ethics issues, including accusations of lavish meal spending and reports that he hired a lover and his fiancée's daughter.
"There has been zero ethics violation," D'Esposito said. "People do hire people they know."
A closer look at the district
New York's 4th Congressional District runs along Nassau County's south shore, and includes beach towns, Hempstead, Garden City and the Five Towns. A true swing seat, it has flipped from red to blue and back to red, despite having more registered Democrats.
Gillen, an attorney and mother of four, was previously supervisor of the Town of Hempstead. In 2022, she lost to D'Esposito, a former police officer and Hempstead councilman. His election was part of a "red wave" on Long Island, with all four seats going to the Republicans, and with them, control of the House.
National issues were front and center in the race, including immigration, abortion and more. D'Esposito had said he wouldn't vote for a national abortion ban, while Gillen accused him of being "consistently against reproductive freedom."
The two were united in their opposition against congestion pricing in New York City, and both have said they support Israel. They both say they are opposed to nationwide abortion ban.