Incumbents sweep all four LI House races

WASHINGTON — Long Island’s four congressional races reflected the national picture Tuesday, as the two Democratic incumbents sailed to victory while the two Republicans survived only after neck-and-neck battles.

Voters frustrated with the war in Iran and President Donald Trump dramatically changed the political balance of the federal government, sweeping Democrats into power in the both the House and Senate.

On Long Island, Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi, of Glen Cove, and Laura Gillen, of Rockville Centre, had double-digit leads in winning their races. Meanwhile, Republican Reps. Nick LaLota, of Amityville, and Andrew Garbarino, of Bayport, weren't declared winners until shortly before midnight in their battles against Democratic foes Chris Gallant, of Amity Harbor, and Patrick Halpin, of Oak Beach.

Neither Gallant nor Halpin was conceding the race as of midnight. "There are still votes to count," Gallant said.

With several other races still to be decided nationwide, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) already was allowing that Democrats had won enough seats to retake control of the 435-member chamber they lost in 2022.

"It's only happened twice in 90 years that a sitting president has picked up or held seats for his party in that first two-year cycle," Johnson said. "There's a lot of reasons for it. It's very, very difficult to overcome, and it looks like history will be kept."

While Long Island’s two Republicans, LaLota and Garbarino, pulled out their races, both will go from members of the House majority to being part of a new House minority.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, if elevated by his colleagues in January, would become the nation’s first Black speaker of the House. If Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is elevated to majority leader, it would be just the third time both jobs were held by people from the same state.

Jeffries declared before midnight: “America is back!” He said the American people have spoken and made clear “they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption,” and “want a Congress that is going to deliver for America.”

Here’s a rundown of the Long Island races.

District 1

One of the two nationally unique features of this contest was that neither candidate — LaLota, 48, nor Democratic challenger Gallant, 37 — actually resides inside the district's boundaries, which lie entirely in Suffolk County.

This race also grabbed national attention in September when old consensual, explicit photos of Gallant were published and went viral. The openly gay military pilot and volunteer firefighter told supporters, "Yeah, that’s me," and stayed in the race.

LaLota touted his fights for tax cuts and bringing home funding to local communities.

"To every Long Islander theat voted for me, thank you for your trust," LaLota said Tuesday night to family, friends and party leaders in Patchogue. "For those who didn't vote for me, I am your congressman too. I will always fight for your family regardless of our political affiliation."

District 2

Garbarino, 42, is the only Long Islander who chairs a full House committee, the Committee on Homeland Security. But he could lose his gavel if Democrats seize control of that chamber. The district is mostly in Suffolk County but extends into Nassau.

Garbarino has touted his work securing permanent funding for the World Trade Center Health Program as part of a Homeland Security spending bill. He also used his committee perch to successfully lobby for the restoration of $2 billion in FEMA funds owed to New York hospitals for their COVID-19 response.

His opponent, former Suffolk County Executive Halpin, 73, would have been one of the oldest persons ever elected to a first term in the House. Halpin's top issue was "making life more affordable," including reducing the costs of healthcare.

Garbarino told supporters Tuesday at a GOP election party in Patchogue that the race “was closer than we would have liked.”

“Every time they talk about a blue wave, Suffolk just pushes back,” he said.

District 3

In a district that spans parts of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties, Suozzi, 64, underscored his moderate or bipartisan reputation in a rematch from 2024 with former Assemb. Mike LiPetri, 36, of Farmingdale.

LiPetri still hit Suozzi for his voting record on bills that largely split all Republicans and Democrats. He further attacked Suozzi as an out-of-touch career politician and for allegedly advocating for amnesty — which Suozzi has denied — for as many as 10 million immigrants living in the country illegally.

Tuesday night, Suozzi told supporters the results of the election “shows that democracy works.”

“People are unhappy with the direction of this administration and that they're not listening to the people,” Suozzi said. “It's a big night for Democrats all over the country.”

District 4

Gillen, 57, was running for her second term after unseating former GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in 2024. She emphasized her ratings by outside analysts and groups as having among the most centrist voting records in the House.

Gillen's Republican challenger, Jeanine Driscoll, 59, of Bellerose Village, like LiPetri, was endorsed by Trump. The sitting Hempstead Town receiver of taxes said she would fight to lower taxes, also hitting Gillen's voting on bills that split all House Republicans and Democrats, including on Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement.

Gillen said in an interview Tuesday that she is looking forward to working in Congress in the majority.

“I've been really frustrated,” she said, adding that the results across America are indicative of the country wanting “to get back on the right track.”

Newsday's John Asbury and Joseph Ostapiuk contributed to this story.