Laura Gillen declared victory Tuesday night in the primary race to become the Democratic candidate for a seat in New York’s 4th U.S. Congressional District.
According to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections, the former Town of Hempstead supervisor came out on top among three opponents, Nassau Legislator Carrie Solages, Malverne Village Mayor Keith Corbett, and Muzibul Huq, a doctor and first-time political candidate.
“Tonight is a victory, but the hard work is really just beginning. It’s not the end, it’s the start of a national fight against the most extreme threats to our democracy,” Gillen told supporters at a watch party in Rockville Centre Tuesday evening. “With this victory, our campaign and our country is one step closer to ensuring that women have access to the care that they need and that they have autonomy over their own medical decisions.
“We are one step closer to cracking down on illegal guns and the gun violence that plagues our communities and our schools and protecting our children,” she continued. “We are one step closer to protecting this great nation from extremists politicians who want to upend our fair election process and our rule of law.”
Gillen won by a large margin, according to unofficial results. She received 12,432 votes, about 63% of the vote, while runner-up Solages received 4,811 votes, about 24% of the vote. She will face off against Republican candidate for C.D. 4, Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito, who ran unopposed in the primary.
“I want to thank my opponents for running a spirited campaign,” Gillen said. “Let’s come together, now we have to keep this seat blue in November.”
Gillen, a Baldwin resident, was the first Democrat to win a Hempstead Town Supervisor race in more than a century in 2017. She served for two years and lost her seat in 2019 to Republican Don Clavin. She decided to run for Congress after U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice announced she would step down from the seat.
