Two centrist, pro-Israel Democrats representing swing House seats on Long Island rode to easy victories on Tuesday, as a suburban Republican in upstate New York with close ties to the Jewish community lost his seat.
Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Laura Gillen (D-NY) coasted to victory in suburban Nassau County, where a fifth of households have at least one Jewish member. The pair spent much of the cycle distancing themselves from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani while stressing their support for the Jewish state and for measures to enhance safety for Jewish institutions.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), one of three members of his party nationwide to carry a seat in 2024 won by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, conceded around 11 p.m. to centrist Democrat Cait Conley. The Republican carried his native Rockland County — home to large Orthodox Jewish communities whose leaders endorsed him — by only a small margin, and lagged Conley in the vote count with many ballots from Westchester County, home to diverse and liberal-leaning Jewish communities, outstanding following a technical snafu with voting machines.
