Chris Gallant, an Army National Guard pilot, former air traffic controller, union leader, and volunteer firefighter, is the apparent winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary for New York's First Congressional District. Should the Suffolk County Board of Elections' unofficial count stand, Mr. Gallant, a newcomer to politics, will challenge Representative Nick LaLota, who will seek a third term in the House of Representatives, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Mr. Gallant apparently defeated Lukas Ventouras, a 25-year-old first-time candidate who previously worked in the office of Representative Grace Meng of the state's Sixth District and for campaigns for Suffolk County executive, the Third Congressional District, and governor of New York.
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, the Board of Elections had Mr. Gallant with 12,132 votes, or 62.9 percent, against 7,130 votes, or 37 percent, for Mr. Ventouras.
"Tonight belongs to every Long Islander who is tired of being taken for granted by their representative," Mr. Gallant said on Tuesday night. “I got into this race because now is the time for change. Congressional approval is at its lowest point while families in this district are struggling. The person representing them made promises he didn’t keep. Tonight we start the real work.”
In a June 8 debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the candidates were in near-total agreement, neither criticizing the other. Mr. Gallant stated that he and Mr. Ventouras had "a very good working relationship" and "we're going to work together to make sure that we win this election in November" regardless of who prevailed in the primary.
Mr. Gallant has won the endorsement of leaders and organizations including former United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Representative Pat Ryan of New York's 18th Congressional District, the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East union, the entire Suffolk County Democratic Legislature in the First District, the Southampton Democratic Committee, the Suffolk Legislature's Minority Leader Jason Richberg, and John Avlon, the Democratic Party's nominee in First District in 2024.
In the June 8 debate Mr. Gallant said, "I'm going to make sure that I hold town halls, be reachable, be available to my constituents. . . . We're going to fight every single day to uphold our rule of law and to make sure that Washington and Congress can start rebuilding what we think is something to be proud of."
An official from the Board of Elections told The Star on Tuesday that absentee ballots that had been received and counted through Monday, as well as votes cast during the early voting period, are included in the unofficial results. The unofficial results will not reflect all absentee ballots as they are still being counted. Absentee ballots postmarked by Tuesday can be received and counted for the next seven days, the official said, and absentee ballots cast by members of the military and citizens living overseas can be received up to 13 days after the date of the primary.
