- Democrat Laura Gillen is running against Republican Anthony D'Esposito in New York's 4th Congressional District.
- The 4th District covers southern sections of Nassau County on Long Island.
- The district favors Democrats, but Republicans have some hope in D'Esposito, following wins in recent local races.
Democrat Laura Gillen faces off against Republican Anthony D'Esposito in New York's 4th Congressional District. Democratic incumbent Rep. Kathleen Rice announced she will not seek reelection, leaving the seat up for grabs.
New York's 4th Congressional District candidates
Gillen is a former supervisor of Hempstead, the largest town — population 790,000-plus — in the United States. Elected in 2017, she made history as the first Democrat to hold the position in more than a century. She lost her reelection bid two years later.
Before entering public service, Gillen worked for more than a decade as a litigator with Uniondale's Westerman Ball Ederer Miller Zucker & Sharfstein law firm. She has the endorsement of the outgoing representative, Rice, under her belt as well.
D'Esposito, Gillen's opponent, is a Hempstead Town Councilman and a retired New York Police Department detective. Prior to entering politics, D'Esposito also served as chief of the Island Park Fire Department. The Hempstead Republican is a member of a plethora of local organizations, including the New York Association of Fire Chiefs and Italian Americans in Government, and he co-chairs the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program.
This South Shore seat he's running for hasn't been won by a Republican since 1996, but Republicans have some hope in D'Esposito, following GOP wins in recent local races.
Voting history for New York's 4th Congressional District
New York's 4th Congressional District covers southern sections of Nassau County.
Joe Biden had a more than 12-percentage-point margin of victory over President Donald Trump under the district's previous boundaries in 2020. The the once-in-a-decade redistricting process following the 2020 Census made the district slightly more Democratic.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Gillen has raised more than $1.4 million, spent more than $1.5 million, and had about $272,000 cash on hand, as of October 19. Her opponent, D'Esposito, raised more than $1 million, spent about $946,000, and had about $112,000 still left to spend, as of October 19.
As of November 3, several super PACs, national party committees, and other non-candidate groups had combined to spend more than $3 million to advocate for or against the candidates. Republican hybrid PAC Congressional Leadership Fund leads all spenders, with Democratic hybrid PAC House Majority PAC close behind.
What experts say
The race between Gillen and D'Esposito is rated as "lean Democratic" by Inside Elections, "lean Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and "leans Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.