The outcome of the 2026 general election in East Hampton Town was never in doubt. Without a fully funded and organized challenger, Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez was destined to win another term. However, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez and her supporters in the Democratic Party may want to tamp down their celebrations, considering how strongly voters came out to write in Jerry Larsen as supervisor. Beating many expectations, the number of write-ins indicates that Mr. Larsen appears to have earned more than a quarter of all votes cast. A final count will be some weeks away, which could add more to his total.
Following on his surprisingly strong showing in a June Democratic primary in which he faced off against the incumbent supervisor, Tuesday’s outcome underscores that Mr. Larsen has become a significant political force in the town. Had he run as a Republican, Mr. Larsen could well have won, even in a year that strongly favored Democrats. One indication of an enthusiasm gap between the two main political parties can be discerned in the vote split for the co-endorsed Stephen Lynch as superintendent of highways in which Democratic votes vastly outnumbered Republican by as much as three to one.
Looking deeper at the preliminary numbers, Mr. Larsen’s best district, East Hampton 5, centered on East Hampton Village, gave him 42 percent of its vote. This is an attention-getting outcome when you consider that Christopher Gallant, the Democrat taking on Representative Nick LaLota, scored nearly 62 percent in the same East Hampton 5. Also revealing is the fact that Mr. LaLota received 109 votes there, one more than did the write-in for supervisor. East Hampton 4, on the east side of Three Mile Harbor, was also a strong Larsen district, handing him about 37 percent, a few points more than Mr. LaLota won.
Mr. Larsen’s support stems from several factors, but perhaps most meaningful in terms of town politics is opposition to the so-called “land of ‘no’ ” — stated another way, his belief that local officials should be more flexible and business-friendly. This idea, that government too often gets in the way of change, is appealing to a sizable portion of voters. Whether giving more leeway to development and commercial growth is in East Hampton’s best interest is a matter for debate. Mr. Larsen and his backers seem to be saying that they now demand to be heard in Town Hall.