John Avlon Wins NY's 1st Congressional District Dem Primary Race

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — The voters have spoken in Tuesday's Democratic primary election to decide who will face off in the race this November against incumbent U.S. Rep. Nick Lalota, who represents New York's 1st Congressional District — and John Avlon was projected to win the race by a wide margin.

With eight of 561 districts still to be counted, Avlon, a former CNN political analyst, had received 18,871 votes or 70.19 percent compared to the 7,959 votes, or 29.60 percent, garnered by Nancy Goroff, a former Stony Brook University chemistry professor.

Aiming to flip the seat from red to blue in the primary race were Avlon, of Sag Harbor, also a former editor of the Daily Beast and Goroff, a Stony Brook resident who lost the race for the congressional seat to Lee Zeldin in 2020.

In his victory speech, Avlon said Democrats, who believe in bipartisanship, "need to reach out with clarity and confidence and get the real business going of winning back this election and winning back Congress."

He said from the beginning of the campaign he was clear about his goals and vision for winning, such as building a broad, patriotic coalition "to defend American democracy by defeating Donald Trump and winning back the house."

"We here in Suffolk County are lucky to live in a swing district," he said. "We can be the change we want to see."

He added: "The real work, you all know, it starts right now." Avlon said there is a need to reach out to independent voters and voters on the center right, because there is more that unites people than divides them. "We find common ground to pursue the common good. That's just common sense."

His goals include addressing the affordability crisis, protecting reproductive rights, and restoring the expanded Child Care credit and the state and local tax, or SALT, deduction.

He also came out swinging against Lalota, who is "pretending to be moderate at home and then votes MAGA in Washington. I'm not going to let folks forget that he celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade."

In conclusion, Avlon said: "I've always believed that politics is history in the present tense. That this is our chance to write a new chapter of the American story. I believe that the cause of defending American liberty and democracy is as honorable as winning it in the first place. . . The defining struggle of our time is democracy versus autocracy both at home and abroad."

And, he said, "With all the challenges we face, I know that by working together we will look back on this time with pride."

Goroff conceded the race: "I would like to congratulate John Avlon for winning the Democratic primary in New York’s 1st Congressional District," she said. "It is imperative that all Democrats now come together to defeat Nick LaLota and flip this seat in November. John has built a broad coalition of elected officials, community leaders, and unions. He will be a commonsense voice for the people of Suffolk in Washington and a vast improvement over LaLota who has proven to be far too extreme for this district. The people of Suffolk deserve a representative who will work hard and find solutions to the major problems facing our community, and that is John Avlon."

In November, 2022, Lalota, a Republican, won the race against challenger Bridget Fleming for the District 1 seat vacated by former Rep. Lee Zeldin, waged an unsuccessful campaign to unseat incumbent New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.

After the primary results, Lalota issued a statement: "With primaries behind us, our common sense conservative campaign feels confident about our race against CNN commentator and Manhattan elitist John Avlon."

He added: "We start the general election campaign on the right side of the issues that matter most, especially border and economy. The wind is in our campaign sails: We’re up double digits in the polls, with more than three times cash on hand, and over 1,000 fired-up volunteers. After re-redistricting, this is a district that President Trump won by 1.8 points in 2020 and 9.8 points in 2016."

Avlon, Lalota said, "has taken extreme leftist positions on CNN and as a NYC resident who takes a tax break only New York City residents can take, he doesn’t understand Suffolk County. Avlon can’t stop himself from saying 'in Long Island and takes more donations from Manhattanites than Suffolk residents. As a lifelong Long Islander, I’m proud to represent the communities I grew up in and fight for them daily. In my first term, I’ve secured over $150 million in federal funding and reached across the aisle to improve our way of life. While the CNN commentator spends his time at ritzy Hamptons parties, I meet with hardworking Long Islanders and deliver results. I look forward to continuing my bipartisan fight for the people of Suffolk County and earning their vote once again this November."

After redistricting, New York's 1st Congressional District includes both the North and South Forks, Riverhead, the northern part of Brookhaven Town, all of Smithtown and all of Huntington.

On his campaign website, Avlon said, about his reasons for running: "I am running for Congress in New York’s First District because there is too much at stake for the country and community I love. . . Together, we can flip this seat and finally solve problems for Long Island families. We need to rebuild the middle class, protect women’s reproductive rights, invest in our local infrastructure and transportation, and combat climate change."

He added: "This election is not a drill. Now’s the time for us all to stand up and get off the sidelines. Democrats can't afford to lose this fight."

Avlon said: "I'm a native New Yorker and the grandson of immigrants. They inspired in me a deep love for our country and an appreciation that the blessings of America cannot be taken for granted."

Avlon maintains that he has "warned about dangers to our democracy for over a decade — in books, columns and on TV. This election is not a drill. Now’s the time for us all to stand up and get off the sidelines. We need to build the broadest possible coalition to defeat Donald Trump, defend democracy and win back the House from his extreme MAGA minions. That’s why I'm running for Congress in New York's 1st district."

He added: "If you’ve seen me on CNN or my appearances on "Real Time with Bill Maher" or the "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," you know that I’ve consistently called out the unhinged extremism and poisonous polarization in our politics. I’ve tried to be a voice of reason in unreasonable times, preaching the need to focus on common facts and common ground so we can find solutions to our common problems."

Avlon and Goroff held a debate recently with the League of Women Voters of ; that debate can be viewed on YouTube.

During that debate, Avlon said he is running because he believes so much is at stake for the country and for local communities. "We're in a dangerous place, we're on a knife's edge," he said. "I'm the grandson of immigrants, and they taught me that you cannot take the blessing of an American democracy for granted. American democracy is under threat."

Avlon said he believes it's critical to build a "broad, patriotic coalition" to win the swing seat.

He said he left CNN because he and his wife felt deeply felt that they never wanted to feel that "they could have done more when it mattered most."

Avlon reminded that the seat currently held by Republican LaLota was held by Democrat Tim Bishop for more than a decade.

He said the pillars of his campaign were to fight the "fever of Trumpism, which has divided our country"; protect reproductive freedom, and tackle the affordability crisis that has residents from Greenport to Northport frustrated over spiking grocery prices and other costs.

During the debate, the candidates answered questions on issues including whether they could "work across the aisle to pass a bill that was good but not perfect"; both agreed they could and would.

When asked about the Child Care credit, Avlon said as a father of two young children, he understands that the middle class on Long Island feels that the "system is not working for them", but instead, just for the "super rich. We need to be sure to strengthen the middle class" and help them as they face the high costs of raising of family on Long Island, from housing to groceries, he said.

He said the federal Child Care tax credit was critical, as was restoring the state and local tax, or SALT, deduction, that would "put $10,000 back in working families' pockets."

During the debate, both firmly supported defending reproductive rights and ensuring veterans' needs were met. They discussed how to help local farmers. Avlon said it was important to focus on comprehensive immigration reform because those seasonal, temporary workers were critical to farming on Long island.

During the debate, the candidates also discussed issues such as climate change; whether the government should play a role in restricting social media and AI; gun control; and international issues such as the United States' position in relation to Ukraine and Israel; anti-Semitism; and voter fraud.

"This is no ordinary time, no ordinary election," Avlon concluded. "We have the unique opportunity to flip this seat from red to blue. Democrats can't afford to lose this fight."