Early voting is underway for Tuesday’s primary election that will determine the Republican Party’s nominee for New York’s First Congressional District.
Nicholas LaLota, Anthony Figliola, and Michelle Bond are vying for the Republicans’ nomination. Mr. LaLota is the chief of staff to the Republican majority in the Suffolk Legislature and previously served as Republican commissioner for the Suffolk County Board of Elections. Mr. Figliola is a former deputy supervisor of Brookhaven Town and is currently executive vice president of Empire Government Strategies. Ms. Bond is chief executive of the Association for Digital Asset Markets and previously worked for a law firm.
The candidates hope to succeed Representative Lee Zeldin, who was elected in 2014 and is now the Republican Party’s nominee for governor of New York.
Only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. Those unsure of their polling place can click here to access that information via the New York State Board of Elections website.
The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork hosted an Aug. 8 debate between the Republican candidates. Ms. Bond declined an invitation to participate, and her opponents, who were largely in agreement throughout the virtual debate, criticized her for skipping it.
The Democratic Party’s primary election was canceled, as Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming was unopposed for the nomination. Ms. Fleming sought but did not win the Democrats’ nomination in 2020. After the district’s boundaries were redrawn earlier this year, the field was cleared for her. Jackie Gordon, who had been a candidate in the First District, is now a resident of the Second District and is running there. Suffolk Legislator Kara Hahn suspended her campaign and endorsed Ms. Fleming’s candidacy in May.
Ms. Fleming’s campaign opened an office at 71 Hill Street in Southampton on Tuesday. She will face the winner of the Republican primary election in the Nov. 8 general election.
Early voting continues through Sunday at the Windmill II senior citizens housing complex at 219 Accabonac Road in East Hampton. In Southampton, the early voting site is the Stony Brook Southampton campus at 70 Tuckahoe Road.
In an unusual instance, primary elections were also held on June 28 this year. Because of a protracted dispute over the redrawing of legislative districts following the 2020 census, primary elections for Congress and State Senate were postponed to Tuesday.
In the June 28 primaries, Gov. Kathy Hochul easily held off two challengers for the Democratic Party’s nomination, and Mr. Zeldin bested three challengers for the Republican nomination. The governor’s running mate, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, won his primary election; Mr. Zeldin’s running mate, Alison Esposito, was unopposed. The June 28 Republican primary ballot in Suffolk also included candidates for county clerk. In that race, Vincent Puleo defeated the incumbent, Judith Pascale.
The League of Voters will schedule virtual debates for candidates for the First Congressional District and the State Legislature in October, said Arlene Hinkemeyer, the group’s vice president.
