Candidates for the Democratic Party's nomination to challenge Representative Lee Zeldin to represent New York's First Congressional District expressed confidence this week, days before Tuesday's primary election that will determine the nominee. Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, Perry Gershon, and Nancy Goroff all claimed to be in a tight race with one or two of their competitors.
"We see from our polling that we have the momentum, and the message is really resonating," Ms. Goroff, who is on leave from her position as chairwoman of the chemistry department at Stony Brook University, said on Tuesday."People are really excited about electing a scientist, about having that kind of leadership in Congress, and that I'll be the first female Ph.D. scientist ever in Congress." Voters, she said, feel positively toward Stony Brook University as an engine of social and economic mobility in the district.
"I feel good about it," Mr. Gershon, the Democratic nominee who lost to Mr. Zeldin by four percentage points in 2018, said on Tuesday."I think we've got a great shot, a good message from the last campaign, people think I ran a good campaign. The best way to beat Zeldin is more of what we did last year Ñ unite the party around our message, keep the name out there." After the 2018 election, Mr. Gershon, who lives in East Hampton,"spent two years meeting with people, engaging in the western side of the district, and holding monthly town halls, and the fruits of that show at the end of the day."
"I think our polling has this race neck and neck, with us in the lead," Ms. Fleming, whom The Star has endorsed, said on Tuesday,"but we're not taking anything for granted." She said she is calling voters every night, holding rallies via video conference, and conducting an aggressive mail and digital program in the week leading up to the primary election."We will finish strong, and at the end of the day I think voters want someone who's already got a record of taking on Trump and Lee Zeldin," she said."I'm proud to have that."
A fourth candidate, Gregory-John Fischer, has garnered little support.
Mr. Zeldin, a staunch ally of President Trump, is"more vulnerable than ever before, if we nominate the right candidate," Ms. Goroff said. The congressman"is so superficial and focused on spin, much more interested in pleasing the president than actually solving problems for people in this district."
Both she and Mr. Gershon criticized Mr. Zeldin for what they called inaccurate and inflammatory characterizations of peaceful protests against police brutality that have taken place in the district."I think it hurts him," Mr. Gershon said."We'll see, but he's pushing the center away, and I think that's going to be what dooms him."
Ms. Fleming, who entered the race in November, later than her competitors, has been outspent by Ms. Goroff and Mr. Gershon."But it's okay," she said,"I've raised a significant amount of money, almost $900,000, in just six and a half months during the pandemic!" She also pointed to more than 1,200 individual donations."We really have to take a hard look at the role of money in politics, but it is what it is," she said."The mission is the same: It's very important to take New York 1 back."
