Laura Gillen is running a second time against Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R), who currently holds the seat. She lost narrowly in 2022 51.8-48.2%. President Joe Biden carried this district 56.6-42.1% in 2020.
The district comprises central and southern Nassau County on Long Island. It is one of the most Democratic-leaning congressional districts in the country represented by a Republican. This year, a tight election is expected; the Cook Political Report calls this race a tossup.
After graduating from law school, Laura returned to New York and began volunteering to assist people living with HIV/AIDS through GMHC (formerly Gay Men’s Health Crisis) during the height of the AIDS epidemic. She later worked at St. Mother Teresa in her home for the dying.
In 2017, Gillen became the first Democrat to be elected Hempstead Town Supervisor in 112 years. As Supervisor, Laura managed a budget of nearly $500 million and revitalized the town’s infrastructure.
Gillen opposes new kinds of nuclear weapons, including the nuclear submarine-launched cruise missile, supports assistance to Ukraine fighting against Russian aggression, and backs investments in green defense technologies and investments globally that work to curb the impacts of climate change.
