Democrats in Suffolk County are poised to pick their nominee for Congress next week, as they try to unseat a one-term incumbent Republican.
The contest in New York’s 1st District, which stretches from Northport in the west to the Hamptons in the east, pits John Avlon, a familiar face on cable news, against the district’s former Democratic nominee, Nancy Goroff.
What You Need To Know
- Nancy Goroff and John Avlon are vying for the Democratic nomination in New York's 1st Congressional District, whichstretches from Northport in the west to the Hamptons in the east
- Avlon argues he is best positioned to flip New York’s 1st District this fall, noting his primary challenger lost to incumbent Republican Lee Zeldinby nearly 10 pointswhen she was the Democrats’ nominee here four years ago
- Goroff argues that while her opponent was providing commentary on CNN, she worked to get things done for her community. "I'm a problem solver"
- Republicans have controlled the congressional seat for the better part of a decade, and Donald Trump won the district four years ago
Republicans have controlled the congressional seat for the better part of a decade, and Donald Trump won the district by just shy of two points four years ago.
Still, the Democrats running say the district is in play.
Spectrum News NY1 joined both candidates on the campaign trail in early June, as they knocked on doors and made their pitch to voters.
(Spectrum News NY1)
John Avlon’s bid
Explaining his decision to leave his role as a CNN commentator and run for Congress, Avlon said he could not sit on the sidelines any longer.
“We need to break this fever that’s gripped our country and then build a new kind of politics that’s based on common sense problem solving, and sees bipartisanship as a solution and not a problem,” he said. “That’s what I’ve believed my entire career.”
Avlon argues he is best positioned to flip New York’s 1st District this fall, noting his primary challenger lost to incumbent Republican Lee Zeldin by nearly 10 points when she was the Democrats’ nominee four years ago.
Avlon touts the endorsem*nt of several New York congressmen, including Rep. Tom Suozzi from the nearby 3rd District. He also has the endorsem*nt of state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs, who is backing Avlon in his personal capacity.
Jacobs told Spectrum News NY1 that he asked Goroff not to run, questioning her electability.
Avlon said there is a “real pragmatism right now, because of the stakes of this race. Democrats know we can’t afford to lose this fight.”
That is a message that resonates with Madeline Nelson, who added an Avlon sign to her front lawn in Northport after he knocked on her door.
“I think he’s got a lot of charisma, I think he’s going to get the people excited and enthusiastic,” she said.
(Spectrum News NY1)
Nancy Goroff’s run
Days later in nearby Greenlawn, Goroff and a team of volunteers made their own rounds, pitching her candidacy to voters.
“The majority of people here are on our side of these issues, and we just need to make sure they show up to vote,” Goroff told one homeowner.
Goroff is a former professor and department chair at Stony Brook University. After losing in 2020, she helped to launch the Long Island Strong Schools Alliance, which promotes diversity and equity in public schools, and has worked to defeat, what Goroff dubbed, “MAGA extremist” school board members across Nassau and Suffolk counties.
“We’ve been able to bring people together and we have an incredible grassroots network that we are now using to win the election now and in November,” she said.
Goroff argues that while her opponent was providing commentary on CNN, she worked to get things done for her community.
“I’m a problem solver. I’m a scientist. I look at the facts and try to come up with solutions,” she said.
Her advocacy is a point of pride for her supporters and volunteers, including Lukas Ventouras.
“Nancy has really shown that she can roll her sleeves up and do the work and get her hands dirty,” he said.
In response to Jacobs saying that he asked Goroff not to run, her campaign manager said in a statement, “Avlon and Jacobs are underestimating the hunger in the district for a community leader like Nancy with a proven record of beating MAGA extremists at the local level.”
The issues
Avlon and Goroff say in their conversations with voters, three issues routinely come up: the cost of living, the threat to reproductive rights and the need to defend democracy.
Both vow to defend abortion rights, and on affordability, offer a variety of ideas, including incentivizing building more affordable housing.
“I see it both as bringing more dollars to Long Island and also making sure we’re having those conversations to figure out what makes sense for each community,” Goroff said.
Avlon, leaning on his electability argument, says flipping a seat like the 1st District is the only path forward to remove the cap on the deduction for state and local taxes, or SALT, which hit many Long Island families hard. Republicans passed the cap to help pay for Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
“They’re never going to repeal it no matter what Republicans from New York say, because the national Republicans are too invested in that red state-blue state divide, but Democrats can and will,” he said. “If we take back the House, those Trump tax cuts are set to expire in 2025, and we’ll be able to negotiate.”
The incumbent Republican in the 1st District is Rep. Nick LaLota. He declined to say which candidate would be an easier electoral foe this fall.
“They’re very focused on hyper-liberal issues that honestly aren’t what most Suffolk County voters are looking for right now,” he said. “I’m going to campaign like it’s the tightest district in the country.”
Now, in a matter of days, Democrats will get their chance to set the stage for November.
