Nicholas J. LaLota, with reservations, for 1st Congressional District

The 1st Congressional District is like no other on Long Island. Its diversity of landscapes include immense expanses of pine barrens, sprawling tracts of low-lying suburbia, chains of bucolic vineyards and farmland, and breathtaking tableaux of sea and sand.

Its residents have a unique sense of place, whether one lives on the East End or in the heart of Brookhaven, on the North or South Shore, among the millionaires on the South Fork or with the laborers who work for them.

Representing such a district requires a deep knowledge of the richness of its quirks and an appreciation for its glorious mosaic.

Democrat John P. Avlon is a gifted communicator, one of the best we have seen at any level of government on Long Island. He has deep knowledge of our nation’s history and politics and a knack for explaining complex issues. But one issue he has not been able to explain is the matter of where he lives, and one criticism he has been unable to dispel is whether he grasps the intricacies of CD1.

Avlon, 51, meets the only requirement for Congress — that one lives in the state they represent. He bought a house in Sag Harbor in 2017 and registered to vote in Suffolk in 2020. He also has a longtime residence in Manhattan, where his family lives. He has been unable or unwilling to clearly and convincingly explain how much time he spends at each home, but at least until recently seemed to be a part-time resident of Sag Harbor.

In pressing this argument, Republican Rep. Nicholas J. LaLota does not come to the table with clean hands. He, too, lives outside the district — in Amityville, about seven miles from the district’s border. He has had three years since announcing his first run for the seat to move into the district but has not done so, despite making promises that he would. He cannot vote for himself in his own race, and is represented by someone else in Congress.

KNOWS THE DISTRICT

But no one can say that LaLota, 46, does not know the district well, or appreciate its uniqueness or understand its distinct communities and their issues. A lifelong Suffolk County resident, he worked for years at the Suffolk County Board of Elections in Riverhead and as chief of staff to the Suffolk County Legislature. Though he makes disingenuous arguments about where his wife works and other family members live as ways to prove his local bona fides, LaLota does pass the test — with an asterisk for his reluctance to change addresses, if only out of respect for his constituents.

Avlon lacks a deep understanding of the district. He name-checks officials and communities as a way to build homegrown cred, but cannot discuss local issues with the depth and attention to detail he brings to the national issues with which he is so well-versed from his years as a commentator on CNN.

On a variety of key issues, though, we agree more with Avlon. He says "abortion should be between a woman, her doctor, and her God" while LaLota supports a state ban on abortion after 12 weeks, albeit with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. This is out of step with the majority view in his district.

On housing, Avlon says flatly the region needs more. He proposes revitalizing old strip malls by building apartments above commercial spaces, and extending mortgage assistance to first responders, teachers and nurses. LaLota says there is no direct role for the federal or state governments in building housing but he is not opposed to reusing strip malls if the local village mayor, town supervisor and county executive support it, and he does favor creating more first-time homebuyer tax credits.

FIGHTING FOR SALT

Both candidates say restoration of the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes known as SALT is a core part of their affordability agenda; getting that done likely will depend on which party wins control of Congress.

Avlon says he will accept the results of this year's election. LaLota says he will accept election results depending on what the courts say. That's an unsettling qualification.

Both candidates are concerned about issues of flooding and coastal erosion, both support Israel in its conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah, and both back Ukraine in its war with Russia, though there are nuanced differences in their positions.

On immigration, both toe party lines. Avlon supports the border bill negotiated in the Senate and killed by former President Donald Trump and advocates for reform that would expand legal immigration. LaLota says the Senate bill was weak and is pushing tougher legislation and the deportation of "criminals."

We did not endorse LaLota two years ago. His opponent in that race was deeply knowledgeable about the district's problems and more aligned with our stances on issues.

There still are many issues on which we disagree with LaLota. But he has a different opponent this time for whose responsiveness we cannot vouch.

If LaLota wins, we expect him to live up to his word to be a bulwark against his party's worst tendencies to undermine the federal government and act to protect Long Island's interests. We expect him to work hard to bring back the SALT exemption. We expect him, as a Navy man, to help reverse the Coast Guard's disturbing pullback on Long Island, which has been a safety problem for commercial and recreational boaters, and to restore the number of Coast Guard stations and personnel on Long Island. We expect him to work to get Plum Island protected as a national park or monument.

Most of all, we expect him to be more of the reasonable centrist he claims to be — more centrist than one would expect from someone who boasts that he was the first member of Congress from a purple district to endorse Trump, more in keeping with someone who touts his bipartisanship when it comes to passing legislation.

LaLota says he is of the district. We expect him to act that way in Washington.

Newsday's editorial board, with reservations, endorses LaLota.