Tom Suozzi’s larger-than-expected victory in a special congressional election in eastern Queens and Nassau County earlier this month is giving Democrats a new jolt of confidence as they seek to retake the U.S. House of Representatives in elections this year — even in more challenging Republican-controlled terrain like parts of Long Island.
“The control of Congress could go through New York, could go through Long Island, could go through NY-1,” said John Avlon, a former CNN political analyst vying for the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District.
He said the Democratic Party needs to field “a competitive candidate who can inspire the base, shake up the race, be a disruptor and then also appeal to independent voters, as we saw with Tom Suozzi.”
Avlon, who started his political career as a speechwriter for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and later served as editor-in-chief of the online news site The Daily Beast, is the most recent entrant into an increasingly crowded field of Democrats seeking to oust first-term Republican Rep. Nick LaLota.
While the district is considered a swing seat, political observers say it’s a much tougher race for Democrats to win given the Republican shifts in recent elections and the latest redistricting process. And all that is after the Democratic candidate makes it through what could be a bruising primary.
Already, two Democrats are vying for the nomination, including Nancy Goroff, a former chemistry professor at Stony Brook University who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2020 but has already amassed local endorsements and a considerable campaign war chest.
Three other Democrats dropped out of the race: former Cuomo administration attorney Craig Herskowitz, former state Sen. James Gaughran and Kyle Hill, a first responder and health care policy expert who worked in Congress.
The eastern Long Island district currently spans from Huntington to Long Island’s North and South Forks. Both Democrats and Republicans have…
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