LaLota Is Easy Victor In 1st Congressional District GOP Primary

Nicholas J. LaLota, a former Republican Suffolk County Board of Elections commissioner, easily fended off two challengers to win the GOP primary for the 1st Congressional District on Tuesday.

LaLota will now face off against Democratic Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming in November’s election to replace incumbent Republican Lee Zeldin, who is giving up the seat to run for governor.

LaLota, who was backed in his bid by the Suffolk County Republican Committee, received 47 percent, or 12,368 votes, in an unofficial tally reported by the Board of Elections.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, LaLota is currently the chief of staff for the Suffolk County Legislature.

A resident of Amityville, LaLota does not live in the 1st District, whose boundaries vacillated earlier this year in a redistricting fight, but he has said he plans to move into it as soon as possible. Residency is not required to represent a district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He bested Michelle Bond, who received 7,289 votes, or 27.7 percent, and Anthony Figliola, who received 6,569 votes, or 25 percent of the total.

Bond is an attorney who promotes cryptocurrencies and had the backing of the pro-Donald Trump organization, Long Island Loud Majority. Figliola is the former deputy supervisor of Brookhaven Town and a pro-business lobbyist.

LaLota could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, but he issued a statement on his Facebook page:

“Thank you, voters of Suffolk County, for placing your trust in me,” he said. “Tonight we celebrate a primary win against $3 million in outside special interests. Tomorrow, we fight for our community and country against a liberal rubber stamp for the Biden-Pelosi agenda. Together, we’ll stand up for hardworking Long Island families hit so hard by their tax-and-spend agenda.”

Fleming took little time in responding, issuing a statement of her own on Wednesday morning.

“Nick LaLota wants to govern from the extremes,” she said. “He has proven time and time again that he doesn’t know what’s right for our district. From trying to de-fund the police, to weakening gun safety laws, to disenfranchising Suffolk County voters, and supporting efforts to strip women of their fundamental freedoms, LaLota is only committed to exploiting division and advancing his own dangerous agenda.”