Christopher Gallant wins Democratic NY-01 primary
Political newcomer Christopher Gallant cruised to victory Tuesday in the Democratic primary, setting up a November challenge against Republican incumbent Nick LaLota in New York’s 1st Congressional District.
Mr. Gallant, 36, received 12,002 votes, or 63%, to 7,046 votes, or 37%, for Lukas Ventouras, a 25-year-old law student from Northport, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
The victory caps a primary campaign in which Mr. Gallant of Amity Harbor leaned heavily on his military and public-service background while pitching himself as a candidate focused on affordability, housing and health care.
At a recent debate in Jamesport, the 36-year-old Mr. Gallant highlighted his extensive career in public service, including 20 years in the U.S. National Guard dating back to 2006, deployments to Kuwait and overseas missions as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. He has also worked as an FAA air traffic controller, a union leader and volunteer firefighter.
His platform centers on housing, health care, the cost of living and addressing Long Island’s fragile infrastructure. He supports a hybrid health care system that includes an employer-paid option for workers. Mr. Gallant also said he wants to expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision services.
If elected this fall, Mr. Gallant said he would seek federal funding to build more affordable housing in NY-01. This includes supporting federal incentives for transit-oriented development near LIRR stations, while protecting suburban neighborhoods from overdevelopment.
On immigration, Mr. Gallant said there is no clear pathway to citizenship and that the process needs to be revamped.
The district map for NY-01 spans the eastern two-thirds of Suffolk County on Long Island, including the entirety of the towns of Huntington, Smithtown, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island, as well as parts of Brookhaven. It is the largest congressional district on Long Island.
Mr. LaLota was first elected in November 2022, winning the seat the now Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin had held since 2015. He defeated Democratic challenger and former CNN commentator John Avlon in 2024.
In another race Tuesday, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the second-longest-serving comptroller in state history, won his Democratic primary in a landslide, receiving more than 75% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
