NY-04 race: A rematch between longtime rivals Anthony D'Esposito and Laura Gillen
Laura Gillen, Democratic candidate for 4th Congressional District faces Anthony D'Esposito, the Republican incumbent candidate for the district. Credit: James Escher
New York's 4th Congressional District race doubles as a rematch between longtime rivals whose fraught history began during their days on the Hempstead Town Board, where they tangled over taxes, nepotism and other issues.
Now Rep. Anthony D'Esposito and his longtime Democratic rival Laura Gillen are going toe-to-toe in a closely watched election that could help determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
D’Esposito is vying for a second term after defeating Gillen two years ago with 52% of the vote. With Republicans holding a razor-thin majority in the House, many eyes are on the rematch.
"New York State has become ground zero in the fight over Congress," said Christopher Malone, a political science professor at Farmingdale State College. "All things being equal, if Democrats can win one or two seats on Long Island, they can take back Congress."
Republicans currently control the House, with 220 GOP members versus 212 Democrats and three vacancies.
D’Esposito got a potential boost last month when former President Donald Trump held a rally in the congressman's district at the Nassau Coliseum and personally shouted out the congressman. Observers said one aim of Trump's visit — which drew thousands inside and outside the arena — was to energize the GOP base to turn out for D'Esposito.
A less welcome spotlight hit D’Esposito the same month when a New York Times report alleged that he had put his girlfriend and his fiancée's daughter on the congressional payroll. He has not been formally accused of wrongdoing and has denied he did anything wrong.
Lawrence Levy, executive dean of Hofstra University's National Center for Suburban Studies, said it is too early to tell whether the allegations will have an impact. Levy said the recent indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, could provide a countering "attack narrative" for Republicans to lob at Democrats.
D'Esposito, 42, of Island Park, is a former NYPD detective who later served as a councilman for the Town of Hempstead from 2016 to 2023.
He has emphasized his law enforcement background and support for the House Republicans' border security bill while pinning record inflation and the high cost of living on the policies of President Joe Biden and Democrats.
D'Esposito has been the sponsor of 36 pieces of legislation and cosponsored over 400 bills, according to his office. Some of the bills he's introduced include classifying fentanyl as a permanent Schedule I drug, formally opposing congestion pricing and forcing the U.S. attorney general to report the impact of the migrant crisis on law enforcement.
"We are dealing with the migrant issue locally. They are using migrant shelters just across the [Queens] border to find new people to join these Venezuelan gangs to smuggle firearms," D'Esposito said in a recent interview with Newsday, referring to reports that the Tren de Aragua gang has recruited in the city's migrant shelters.
NYPD officials say they have been tracking the gang, and one member has been accused of shooting at two police officers in Times Square over the summer. There have been no known reports that the organization has infiltrated Long Island.
He says the issues of reproductive rights that Gillen has focused on "are important" but "not the most important" to voters in the district.
D'Esposito raised $3.4 million in campaign funding and had $2.1 million as of June, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings.
Gillen, 55, of Rockville Centre, is not new to politics.
In 2017, she became the first Democrat elected to be supervisor of the Town of Hempstead in a century, part of a wave of Democratic women elected to top positions in local offices. While in office, Gillen managed the town's finances while attempting the blunt the practice of nepotism in local government.
She sparred with D'Esposito, then a town councilman who worked as an administrative assistant in the county board of elections, over taxes, nepotism and corruption in Town Hall.
In an interview with Newsday, Gillen, a former litigator, outlined her priorities for the district, which include pledging her commitment to public safety, and eliminating gangs and drug activity in the district. On immigration, she says security and the entry process on the U.S.-Mexico border should be addressed with more patrol agents and technology.
She criticizes D'Esposito as part of a partisan, deadlocked Congress that hasn't made progress on immigration reform and repealing the cap on the State and Local Tax deduction known as SALT, a critical issue for Long Island homeowners.
"Long Island families rely on the SALT deduction to help bring down their costs. In Congress, this will be a top priority of mine because it is critical that we remove the cap and give relief to Nassau County homeowners," Gillen said.
Census figures show the district — spanning from Floral Park, Five Towns and Elmont across the South Shore to include Long Beach, Uniondale, Freeport, Merrick, Roosevelt, Hempstead, Garden City and Rockville Centre — is home to over 199,000 homeowners.
There are 227,295 registered Democrats, 158,056 Republicans and 138,841 voters not registered with a political party, according to recent figures from the Nassau County Board of Elections.
Gillen and D'Esposito have framed themselves as moderates while seeking to peg each other to the most extreme factions of their respective political parties. Like many Republicans walking a tight wire on the issue of abortion, D'Esposito says he is against a national abortion ban. And like many Democrats seeking to distance themselves from pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, Gillen emphasizes her support for Israel.
Gillen has made herself competitive, and it shows through campaign filings. She's raised $3.2 million since announcing her candidacy in May 2023, and had $2.5 million as of June, federal election data shows.
The path to victory for D'Esposito or Gillen will depend on who can best navigate the "delicate dance" in bringing out their party's base without alienating moderates in "the most purple part of New York," Malone of Farmingdale State College said, referring to independent voters.
Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan think tank tracking elections, lists the race as a toss-up, putting D'Esposito and two other New York Republican incumbents with 10 others across the country in the most competitive category.
Other House races being closely watched include the 1st Congressional District race in Suffolk County between Rep. Nick LaLota and Democratic challenger John Avlon; the 17th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley between incumbent Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Mondaire Jones; and the 19th Congressional District between Rep. Marc Molinaro and Democratic challenger Josh Riley.
Ultimately, Levy said, turnout will matter the most in this election.
"If Trump improves his numbers in Nassau, then D’Esposito wins," he said. "If [Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala] Harris can maintain the numbers that [Joe] Biden and [Bill, Hillary] Clintons [have], then Gillen wins."
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Laura Gillen's occupation. She is a former litigator.
New York's 4th Congressional District race doubles as a rematch between longtime rivals whose fraught history began during their days on the Hempstead Town Board, where they tangled over taxes, nepotism and other issues.
Now Rep. Anthony D'Esposito and his longtime Democratic rival Laura Gillen are going toe-to-toe in a closely watched election that could help determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
D’Esposito is vying for a second term after defeating Gillen two years ago with 52% of the vote. With Republicans holding a razor-thin majority in the House, many eyes are on the rematch.
"New York State has become ground zero in the fight over Congress," said Christopher Malone, a political science professor at Farmingdale State College. "All things being equal, if Democrats can win one or two seats on Long Island, they can take back Congress."
WHAT TO KNOW
- Members of Congress can serve an unlimited number of two-year terms and are paid a salary of $174,000 per year.
- Rep. Anthony D'Esposito and Democrat Laura Gillen are in a highly competitive race for New York's 4th Congressional District, drawing national attention given the GOP's slim majority in the House.
- Both candidates have stressed their moderate stances while criticizing each other for aligning with extreme factions of their parties; D'Esposito focuses on law enforcement and border security, while Gillen stresses public safety and immigration reform.
Republicans currently control the House, with 220 GOP members versus 212 Democrats and three vacancies.
D’Esposito got a potential boost last month when former President Donald Trump held a rally in the congressman's district at the Nassau Coliseum and personally shouted out the congressman. Observers said one aim of Trump's visit — which drew thousands inside and outside the arena — was to energize the GOP base to turn out for D'Esposito.
A less welcome spotlight hit D’Esposito the same month when a New York Times report alleged that he had put his girlfriend and his fiancée's daughter on the congressional payroll. He has not been formally accused of wrongdoing and has denied he did anything wrong.
Lawrence Levy, executive dean of Hofstra University's National Center for Suburban Studies, said it is too early to tell whether the allegations will have an impact. Levy said the recent indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, could provide a countering "attack narrative" for Republicans to lob at Democrats.
From NYPD to Congress
D'Esposito, 42, of Island Park, is a former NYPD detective who later served as a councilman for the Town of Hempstead from 2016 to 2023.
He has emphasized his law enforcement background and support for the House Republicans' border security bill while pinning record inflation and the high cost of living on the policies of President Joe Biden and Democrats.
D'Esposito has been the sponsor of 36 pieces of legislation and cosponsored over 400 bills, according to his office. Some of the bills he's introduced include classifying fentanyl as a permanent Schedule I drug, formally opposing congestion pricing and forcing the U.S. attorney general to report the impact of the migrant crisis on law enforcement.
"We are dealing with the migrant issue locally. They are using migrant shelters just across the [Queens] border to find new people to join these Venezuelan gangs to smuggle firearms," D'Esposito said in a recent interview with Newsday, referring to reports that the Tren de Aragua gang has recruited in the city's migrant shelters.
NYPD officials say they have been tracking the gang, and one member has been accused of shooting at two police officers in Times Square over the summer. There have been no known reports that the organization has infiltrated Long Island.
He says the issues of reproductive rights that Gillen has focused on "are important" but "not the most important" to voters in the district.
D'Esposito raised $3.4 million in campaign funding and had $2.1 million as of June, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings.
Flipping the seat
Gillen, 55, of Rockville Centre, is not new to politics.
In 2017, she became the first Democrat elected to be supervisor of the Town of Hempstead in a century, part of a wave of Democratic women elected to top positions in local offices. While in office, Gillen managed the town's finances while attempting the blunt the practice of nepotism in local government.
She sparred with D'Esposito, then a town councilman who worked as an administrative assistant in the county board of elections, over taxes, nepotism and corruption in Town Hall.
In an interview with Newsday, Gillen, a former litigator, outlined her priorities for the district, which include pledging her commitment to public safety, and eliminating gangs and drug activity in the district. On immigration, she says security and the entry process on the U.S.-Mexico border should be addressed with more patrol agents and technology.
She criticizes D'Esposito as part of a partisan, deadlocked Congress that hasn't made progress on immigration reform and repealing the cap on the State and Local Tax deduction known as SALT, a critical issue for Long Island homeowners.
"Long Island families rely on the SALT deduction to help bring down their costs. In Congress, this will be a top priority of mine because it is critical that we remove the cap and give relief to Nassau County homeowners," Gillen said.
Census figures show the district — spanning from Floral Park, Five Towns and Elmont across the South Shore to include Long Beach, Uniondale, Freeport, Merrick, Roosevelt, Hempstead, Garden City and Rockville Centre — is home to over 199,000 homeowners.
There are 227,295 registered Democrats, 158,056 Republicans and 138,841 voters not registered with a political party, according to recent figures from the Nassau County Board of Elections.
Gillen and D'Esposito have framed themselves as moderates while seeking to peg each other to the most extreme factions of their respective political parties. Like many Republicans walking a tight wire on the issue of abortion, D'Esposito says he is against a national abortion ban. And like many Democrats seeking to distance themselves from pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, Gillen emphasizes her support for Israel.
Gillen has made herself competitive, and it shows through campaign filings. She's raised $3.2 million since announcing her candidacy in May 2023, and had $2.5 million as of June, federal election data shows.
Path to victory
The path to victory for D'Esposito or Gillen will depend on who can best navigate the "delicate dance" in bringing out their party's base without alienating moderates in "the most purple part of New York," Malone of Farmingdale State College said, referring to independent voters.
Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan think tank tracking elections, lists the race as a toss-up, putting D'Esposito and two other New York Republican incumbents with 10 others across the country in the most competitive category.
Other House races being closely watched include the 1st Congressional District race in Suffolk County between Rep. Nick LaLota and Democratic challenger John Avlon; the 17th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley between incumbent Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Mondaire Jones; and the 19th Congressional District between Rep. Marc Molinaro and Democratic challenger Josh Riley.
Ultimately, Levy said, turnout will matter the most in this election.
"If Trump improves his numbers in Nassau, then D’Esposito wins," he said. "If [Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala] Harris can maintain the numbers that [Joe] Biden and [Bill, Hillary] Clintons [have], then Gillen wins."
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Laura Gillen's occupation. She is a former litigator.
Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.
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