In his bid for the Democratic nomination for New York’s First Congressional District, John Avlon of Sag Harbor this week picked up the endorsement of the New York State Democratic Committee chairman, Jay Jacobs, and of all five members of the East Hampton Town Board.
The town board members — Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, Councilwoman Cate Rogers, and Councilmen David Lys, Ian Calder-Piedmonte, and Tom Flight — announced their endorsement in a joint statement on Monday. “We need his strong working knowledge of local issues and we need his ability to work across party lines to get things done,” the statement read. “That’s because John embodies what each of us wants in our elected officials — he’s thoughtful, he’s open-minded, he’s empathetic, and he is a strong communicator.”
They said they “admire how articulate and passionate he is about the things that matter to our community, including combating climate change, investing in infrastructure, protecting a woman’s reproductive freedoms, and defending our democracy. And we look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with him to honor and strengthen our families, our neighborhoods, our diverse cultures and customs, and our natural environment.”
Mr. Jacobs, who is also chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee, said in a release that Mr. Avlon’s “unique background and career experience makes him the best candidate to unseat Nick LaLota.” He called Representative LaLota “a far-right and extreme, out-of-touch Republican” and said that Mr. Avlon, a former CNN anchor, would “work with President Biden to continue enacting meaningful, bipartisan legislation that will improve the lives of working families here on Long Island.”
Since Mr. Avlon first announced his candidacy in February, his campaign has gathered significant momentum, with endorsements coming from the East Hampton, Southampton, and Shelter Island Democratic Committees, as well as Assemblymen Fred W. Thiele Jr. and Steve Stern.
