Rep. Laura Gillen wins key Long Island congressional race crucial to helping decide who holds onto House

Long Island Democratic Rep.Laura Gillen declared victory Tuesday night after decisively holding onto her seat for another two years — a victory over her GOP challenger considered crucial to helping decide which party holds the House majority.“In this election, democrats, republicans, and independents came together to choose common sense over chaos,” Gillen said from the Nassau County Democrats’ election night watch party.“We’re going to flip the House and it looks like we’re going to flip the Senate,” she said, accurately calling how the midterms results fell across the country.Gillen, 57, is now set to serve her second term in Congress for New York’s 4th Congressional District after coming out on top against MAGA-aligned Jeanine Driscoll in a critical blow for Republicans who were hoping to flip the district back red.The congresswoman took Tuesday’s race by more than 16 points, winning 57.9% of the vote to Driscoll’s 41.8%. Follow for live updates on the 2026 Midterm ElectionsNY-4 was considered a crucial race that could help decide which party holds the House majority in Congress and may have major impacts on Trump’s presidency.“The American people have sent a very clear message to the Republican Party, and to this administration, that they are not happy with what’s going on, and they want to turn a different path, one that solves problems, and brings down the cost of living,” Gillen told The Post about her victoryThe race was considered a swing district to the GOP, as three Dems and four Republicans had served there since the 1980s, although the Dems have held power in the district for longer terms. The Democratic reign included an 18-year stint by Rep.

Carolyn McCarthy, who retired in 2015, and another eight-year run by Rep.Kathleen Rice from 2015 to her retirement in 2023, before Republican Anthony D’Esposito flipped the district in 2022.That year, D’Esposito beat Gillen in her run for the seat during Joe Biden’s presiden...