Goroff Will Take on Zeldin in November
Nancy Goroff has won the Democratic nomination for New York’s First Congressional District, after more than 36,000 absentee ballots were finished being counted on Thursday.
She will now focus on the race against Rep. Lee Zeldin, a three-term Republican, in the November 3 General Election.
Goroff, who launched her campaign one year ago today, won the primary by a margin of 630 votes. She received 17,905 votes, while Perry Gershon of East Hampton, who ran against Zeldin two years ago, took in 17,275. Gershon had a slight lead after the in-person votes were tallied.
Bridget Fleming, a Suffolk County legislator and former Southampton Town councilwoman, finished in third place with 13,696 votes. Gregory-John Fischer finished last.
“I am honored to have earned the support of thousands of Democratic voters across New York’s 1st District, and to have earned the Democratic nomination to take on Lee Zeldin,” Goroff said in a statement. “I got into this race last July because as a scientist, leader at Stony Brook University, and Suffolk County mom, I could not sit idly by as Zeldin consistently chooses hyperpartisan spin over science and over the needs of our community. Now more than ever, we need a change in leadership in NY-01.”
Goroff, a Stony Brook chemist, congratulated her primary opponents, noting that there was a record turnout of over 49,664 voters, more than twice that of the 2018 Primary.
“This wave of enthusiasm is a testament to the strength of each of our candidates, our supporters, and the overwhelming energy in Suffolk County to earn better representation for our community. Perry and Bridget are smart, talented, and good-hearted leaders who inspired thousands through their efforts, and to accomplish our shared goal of defeating Zeldin, we will need their help and that of their many supporters.”
Goroff is turning her attention to face Zeldin, who she said has let the district down. “Time after time, he has voted and advocated against our healthcare, our environment, our safety, and so much more,” she said. “And now, as Suffolk County families figure out how to manage the all-encompassing health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zeldin has once again shown that he is more interested in defending President Trump’s political interests than the people he has been elected to represent. We deserve better than a fourth term of Lee Zeldin.”
In an email blast to supporters, her campaign wrote, “Now, it’s time to gear up for the fight to defeat the science-denying, anti-choice, out-of-step extremist Rep. Lee Zeldin in November.”
Her campaign team is looking to raise $50,000 in the next 48 hours “to give our communications and staffing budget the seed money needed to ensure victory in November. Zeldin begins the campaign season with $2 million in the bank, the email said.
In a statement about the Primary Election results, Zeldin said in a statement that his entire life has been about service to America and Long Island.
“America is at a crossroads, with many in our country pushing to ‘defund,’ ‘disband,’ ‘dismantle’ or ‘abolish’ our police departments, institute a federal government takeover of our healthcare system, implement a disastrously flawed ‘Green New Deal,’ and raise our taxes the likes of which we’ve never seen. We can’t let that happen,” Zeldin said.
“I will continue a laser focus on our economy, cutting taxes and growing jobs, increasing healthcare access and affordability, ensuring Long Islanders have clean air and clean water, protecting America’s safety and security at home and abroad, supporting our first responders and veterans, and stopping radical policies and other costly pursuits that would harm the families of Long Island.”
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