5 Things You Need To Know About Gillen/D'Esposito Debate

MELVILLE, NY — The candidates to succeed Kathleen Rice in Congress held a debate on Wednesday. Here are five takeaways from the NewsdayTV debate.

• Republican Anthony D'Esposito, a Town of Hempstead council member, tried to link his opponent, Laura Gillen, the former Town of Hempstead supervisor, to high inflation rates under Democratic President Joe Biden. "The cost of groceries, the cost of gas, the cost of living has gone through the roof" because of the "failed policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats," D'Esposito, the Island Park resident said.

• Gillen hit hard on the country's health care concerns, amid the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. "There's a choice between whether women and girls will retain autonomy over their own health care decisions, or whether we decide to have a national abortion ban that would make abortion a federal crime in every state including New York," she said. Gillen said abortion is a "personal for me," and explained when she 18 weeks pregnant 18 having a "fetal demise." She said there was a risk of "massive infection and dying … I chose to have that abortion procedure. I was heckled by anti-choice activists who tried to block me from getting into that facility," the mother of four children said during the debate.

• The candidates battled on gun control the topic of gun control. D'Esposito said, "The focus needs to be on those who are carrying illegal firearms and not creating laws that limit those who are carrying them legally." Gillen backed universal background checks for firearms buyers and red flag laws that allow police to petition courts to confiscate firearms from those deemed to be dangerous, according to Newsday.

• After complaining about the economy under Biden, D'Esposito said "it's time to have common sense ideas brought to Washington." He said in his opening statement, we are on the wrong track, "and Laura Gillen is on the wrong side of every issue that's facing the individuals who live in the 4th Congressional District."

• Both candidates agreed to repeal the SALT (State and Local) tax. Gillen claimed she was the only candidate who never raised taxes. D'Esposito said he would repeal the SALT tax cap and suggested on "my first day in Washington I would ask to become a part of the SALT caucus, which is a bipartisan initiative started by Congressman Tom Suozzi."

Election day is Tues., Nov. 8.