Nick LaLota has been declared the winner of New York's 1st District Congressional Race

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY: Nick LaLota was declared the winner over Bridget Fleming in the race for the 1st Congressional seat early Wednesday.

The AP declared LaLota the winner shortly after 1 a.m

According to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections, Lalotta led with 158,388 votes, compared to Fleming's 127,825 with 63 precincts not yet reported.

A late Suffolk County count led to a longer wait for Fleming (D-Noyac) and LaLota (R-Amityville) who squared off in a race for the 1st Congressional seat currently held by Rep. Lee Zeldin.

As of midnight Wednesday, workers at the Suffolk County Board of Elections were struggling to load memory cards needed to count votes, officials said, and reports have put the wait anywhere from hours into Wednesday night. All 1,400 memory cards from each voting machine must be taken to BOE Yaphank headquarters and then loaded to indicate the accurate count.

Fleming's campaign team issued a statement saying the votes would have to be counted manually, which “will take some time.”

Fleming ran unopposed for the congressional seat.

After Nick LaLota won the GOP primary on Tuesday, he and GOP candidate Bridget Fleming talked about the race ahead.

A statement from LaLota's campaign said that “in the face of $3.3 million in outside spending from crypto-funded dark money PACs, LaLota overcame the deficit with grassroots energy and a laser-focused message on fighting inflation, expanding American energy production and reducing taxes.”

LaLota reflected on his victory during his victory speech: “Here in Long Island, we know two things about racing. We also know how expensive it can be to make ends meet here. Too often, Long Island has the short end of the stick in Washington. For every dollar of taxpayer revenue we send to DC we only get 93 cents back. I will fight to change that. In Congress, I will put Long Island first. I will support our police, restore SALT Remove the cap and fight tooth and nail to stop the Biden administration's inflationary agenda that has made life here marginally unaffordable. Let's put Long Island first.”

He also set the stage for a heated campaign: “My opponent, Democrat Bridget Fleming, has championed the Biden-Pelosi agenda lock, stock, and barrel. Our opposition could not be clearer. I want to check inflation reverse the biden tax take a hike fire the IRS army and support our police Bridget Fleming sponsored a so called deflationary bill that will raise your taxes at the worst possible time It's just another career career politician who never saw a tax increase that he did.' It will be another stamp on the Radical Left in Congress, and this November we must defeat it.”

Fleming, a sitting Suffolk County legislator who also served as a Southampton city councilman, also spoke:

“Voters in New York's 1st Congressional District know it's been a while since our community elected a congresswoman dedicated to solving problems, not exploiting them,” he said. “Nick LaLota wants to rule from the edges. He has proven time and time again that he does not know what is right for our district.”

He added: “From trying to defund the police, to weakening gun safety laws, to disempowering Suffolk County voters, and supporting efforts to take away women's fundamental freedoms, LaLota is only committed to to exploit the division and advance his own dangerous agenda. As a former district attorney, city council member and current Suffolk County legislator, I know what Long Islanders expect and deserve from their representatives. I know how to work across the aisle to deliver the solutions that people on Long Island need right now.”

Lalotta is an 11-year Navy veteran, his resume states. His father was a Nassau County police officer and his grandparents were NYPD officers. He is a graduate of Saint Anthony's High School and a graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. After returning home from three overseas deployments, Nick married his high school sweetheart Kaylie. they are raising their three daughters in Amityville. LaLota is also chief of staff for the Suffolk County Legislature, a former Amityville trustee and a former commissioner of the Suffolk County Republican Board of Elections.

Fleming's bio says she is a “problem solver who has worked across the board to fully fund law enforcement, reduce costs like gas costs, balance budgets and keep taxes in line. She will reject extreme partisanship and, as she has done throughout her career, deliver honest and capable government for all constituents in New York's 1st Congressional District.”
Throughout her tenure in public office, Fleming said she has championed tax relief, environmental protection and been a constant presence for residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. As a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's office, he prosecuted violent crimes and public program fraud. Fleming lives in Noyac with her husband Bob and their son Jai.

The candidates are vying for the seat vacated by Zeldin, (R-Shirley), who has led the district since 2015 after defeating former Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst. Zeldin won the GOP primary and is vying to unseat incumbent Hochul in the November election.

The 1st District redistricting sparked some controversy and a lawsuit, resulting in a court-ordered redrawing of the lines and also led to separate primary days for the U.S. House of Representatives and the New York State Senate, on August 23, and primaries for the New York State Assembly and gubernatorial races, held on June 28.

Suffolk County communities in the 1st district include the East End — East Hampton Town, Southampton Town, Westhampton, Hampton Bays, the North Fork, Shelter Island and Riverhead — and parts of Brookhaven Town, as well as Smithtown and Huntington.