Zeldin Gets Early Challenger

Perry Gershon, a businessman and entrepreneur who is a Democratic candidate to represent New York’s First Congressional District, announced on Monday that he has raised $102,700 since July 15. According to the paperwork on file with the Federal Election Commission, the money has come entirely from individual donors.

Mr. Gershon, who lives in East Hampton, hopes to unseat Representative Lee Zeldin, a Republican serving his second term. He plans a formal announcement of his candidacy later in the summer.

“I’m thrilled with the support I’ve received for my candidacy in the first week, and I remain confident that I can garner the financial support necessary to hold Lee Zeldin accountable,” Mr. Gershon said in a statement. “This campaign is about raising wages and improving health care for the people of Long Island, and they are fired up and ready to fight back. Zeldin has put his own interests and special interests first for too long. He isn’t fighting for the middle class — but I will.”

He is one of several potential candidates for the Democratic nomination to oppose Mr. Zeldin in the November 2018 midterm elections, including Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., who told The Star in April that he would consider a run “when the time is right.”

Mr. Gershon founded a sports bar when he was 23 years old, later spending more than 25 years in commercial real estate finance. He and his wife, Lisa, are parents to two sons, who attend college.