Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn has announced her intention to seek the Democratic Party's nomination to represent New York's First Congressional District. She joins a fellow Democratic legislator, Bridget Fleming, who announced a bid for the seat last month.
Ms. Hahn, a Stony Brook native who lives in Setauket, made the announcement on June 2. On Monday, Nancy Goroff, the Democrats' 2020 nominee for the congressional seat, endorsed Ms. Hahn's candidacy. Assemblyman Steve Engelbright has also endorsed her campaign.
The deputy presiding officer in the Legislature, Ms. Hahn told The Star on Monday that "I'm running because I care deeply and want to make a bigger impact for communities, for families. . . . I feel like I could walk in any neighborhood, meet at any firehouse, sit in any living room and talk to residents and listen, understand, and relate. That's how I intend to win. It's what I've done through all my races and how I've won previously: relating to and working hard for the community."
Representative Lee Zeldin, who emerged as one of former President Trump's most stalwart supporters, has held the seat since defeating Representative Tim Bishop in 2014. He is now seeking the Republican Party's nomination for governor of New York.
"I think that if you talk to an average voter, they're not interested in the extremes. They're interested in the bread-and-butter issues that impact their lives. They don't want to go bankrupt because they caught Covid, or because their child broke their leg and needed two surgeries. They want to know they can drink their water and breathe their air, swim at the beach and not be contaminated."
She grew up in a Republican household, she said, and "have had the support of Republicans in every campaign I've run and been proud to earn support across party lines. I think that's where our voters are, ultimately. They want someone who can get results for them and get the job done."
Ms. Hahn said that her parents, a volunteer firefighter and a civic leader, inspired her to public service. "In my heart I'm a social worker," she said. "I've been a community leader, a mom, and a born-and-bred Long Islander. This community means the world to me."
The First District seat has been held by Republicans and Democrats in roughly equal measure. Democrats have called the district winnable throughout Mr. Zeldin's tenure, but the congressman easily fended off a challenge by Ms. Goroff, a scientist and educator, winning by 10 percentage points. Mr. Zeldin defeated Perry Gershon, an East Hampton resident, by 4 percentage points in 2018, and Anna Throne-Holst, a former Southampton Town Supervisor, by 16 percentage points in 2016.
In a statement issued by Ms. Hahn's campaign on Monday, Ms. Goroff said, "As a legislator, Kara has worked to protect our drinking water from contamination and to limit single-use plastics. She was also the change agent behind getting Narcan into the vehicles of first responders, which has saved countless lives in the fight against opioid addiction." Ms. Hahn had endorsed Ms. Goroff when she ran for the seat last year.
"With Kara's deep connections to Suffolk County -- particularly in Brookhaven Town -- and track record of finding common-sense solutions, I know she's the candidate who can lead Democrats to victory next year," Ms. Goroff said. Ms. Hahn has represented the Fifth Legislative District, which encompasses the northwest section of Brookhaven Town, since 2011.
Ms. Fleming represents the Second Legislative District, encompassing the South Fork and Shelter Island. She sought the Democrats' nomination to challenge Mr. Zeldin last year, but finished behind Ms. Goroff and Mr. Gershon.
