"I love this candidate," the actor John Leguizamo said on Sunday. "I feel he's one of the best out there."
Mr. Leguizamo, who bought a house in Amagansett in 2012, was speaking of Perry Gershon, who is vying for the Democratic Party's nomination for a second bid to represent New York's First Congressional District. He spoke during an online fund-raiser for Mr. Gershon, organized and co-hosted by Loida Lewis of East Hampton and Manhattan.
Mr. Gershon, who lives in East Hampton, lost to Representative Lee Zeldin by four percentage points in 2018.
Mr. Leguizamo, a native of Colombia who is known for his roles in films including "Carlito's Way," "Summer of Sam," the animated "Ice Age" movies, "Romeo + Juliet," and "Moulin Rouge!" said he has seen a diverse population since moving to the district. "They need to be represented equally. . . . I feel like Lee Zeldin doesn't represent us. I feel very left out in the Lee Zeldin and Donald Trump world." Mr. Leguizamo was among several participants who criticized Mr. Zeldin and noted his stalwart defense of President Trump.
Mr. Gershon, he said, "is going to speak up for us and the environment."
"I know what it's like to run a hard campaign, become a better candidate, and to come up close," said Patrick Halpin, a former Suffolk County executive and state assemblyman. "You must do it again, Perry, because this time we're not only going to win and not run short, but the nation needs you even more."
Reflecting on the demonstrations against police brutality he had attended last week, Mr. Gershon said, "We need to have a fairer, more racially just society . . . internationally, not just in America, but especially in every part of NY-1." At protests and rallies through the district, "the numbers of people turning out are striking, because they're all young people in their 20s, which we're just not used to seeing in this district. That shows me things are really changing. This isn't a moment," he said. "It's a movement."
Mr. Gershon is among four candidates seeking the Democratic Party's nomination to face Mr. Zeldin in the Nov. 3 election. The Democratic primary is on June 23.C.W.
