Nick LaLota won the Republican nomination for New York’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, setting the stage for a showdown with Democratic Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming in the fall.
LaLota, the chief of staff for the Suffolk County Legislature, had been locked in a contentious scrum with cryptocurrency trader Michelle Bond and former Brookhaven Deputy Town Supervisor Anthony Figliola for the GOP nod.
IDENTITY POLITICS DOMINATES NEW YORK RACE BETWEEN MALONEY AND NADLER
The seat had been held by outgoing Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who opted against pursuing reelection and mounted an uphill battle for New York governor instead. While Republicans still maintain an apportionment advantage in the 1st Congressional District, the race is still widely considered competitive.
Democrats already coalesced behind Fleming after her chief rival and fellow Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn ended her campaign and endorsed Fleming. Throughout her campaign, Fleming has voiced her willingness to work with the other side and stressed how her race could determine the balance of power in the House. Fleming previously worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.
On the Republican side, LaLota and Bond had traded barbs over each other’s ties to the district and prior work for Democrats. LaLota lives outside of the district’s borders, while Bond had just moved there earlier this year. LaLota had earned a coveted endorsement from the Suffolk County Republican Party’s executive committee prior to Bond’s entrance into the race in May.
Bond quickly accrued a massive war chest after she entered the race, more than doubling LaLota’s fundraising, FiveThirtyEight reported. Some of her financial haul came from a super PAC that has received backing from her boyfriend, per the outlet.
Figliola, meanwhile, trailed his Republican rivals on the fundraising circuit. All three Republican contenders in the race pitched themselves to voters as a Trump-style conservative in various ads and campaign releases.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In contrast to other districts across the Empire State, redistricting did not dramatically alter the makeup of the 1st Congressional District because it retained much of its prior stretch of eastern Long Island and a considerable slice of Suffolk County.
Although the district has historically leaned red, it has swung between the two parties in the recent past.
