NEW YORK – After winning his congressional primary election in June, Greek-American John Avlon, the former CNN commentator, is in the spotlight as Kamala Harris’ candidacy, which has energized Democratic campaigns across the country, has given him a nudge in the once safely Republican 1st Congressional District in Long Island’s Suffolk County

The headline for Benjamin Oreskes’ New York Times article reads: ‘Harris’s Candidacy Boosts a Democrat’s Slim Chances on Long Island’ and the subheadline notes the challenge Avlon faces: ‘Representative Nick LaLota is questioning John Avlon’s local bona fides as they battle over who is more authentically of Long Island’.

The article notes that “as the November election contest between Mr. Avlon, a Democrat, and the Republican House incumbent, Nick LaLota, draws closer, Mr. Avlon’s residency – and his portrayal by Mr. LaLota as a carpetbagger – has become a recurring campaign issue.”

Avlon has converted a seasonal home in Sag Harbor “into a full-time residence this year, neighbors recounted frequently seeing him with his children in the backyard, or at a community forum related to preserving the nearby home of John Steinbeck… Mr. Avlon and his wife have been regular visitors to the community since they married in 2009. They bought a home here in 2017 and, after spending extended periods here during the pandemic, moved full time earlier this year when he left CNN to run for office.”

LaLota “has made Mr. Avlon’s residency a focal point of his campaign, arguing Mr. Avlon’s Manhattan ties made him an out-of-touch elitist. He posted photos on social media of Mr. Avlon and his family trick-or-treating on Halloween in New York City” but “the move seemed to backfire, with Mr. Avlon and others criticizing Mr. LaLota for including his opponent’s children in a political attack, even with their faces blurred out.”

The article continues: “In a post on X, Mr. Avlon accused Mr. LaLota of preferring to ‘target my family and kids on a Halloween Instagram post, lurking on the internet like some creep,’ rather than engage in a series of debates…” adding also: “you don’t live in the district.”

The Times explained that “the back-and-forth over the candidates’ residency has more to do with voters’ perception than any legal distinction: Federal election laws only require members of Congress to live in the state they represent, not the district. The requirement also benefits Mr. LaLota, who lives in Amityville in Suffolk County, just outside the district.”

The article quotes Lawrence Levy, executive director of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University and a former Newsday reporter, however, who said that the district in Suffolk County was one “where living there has currency… people are parochial in the sense that they’re tied very closely to their community.”

Oreskes points out that “the ferocity of the candidates’ attacks seems to reflect how President Biden’s decision to drop out may have altered a race for what was once considered a fairly safe Republican seat.”

In 2022, LaLota won the seat by an 11-point margin, while Biden won the district by 0.2 percentage points. The race is still considered “likely Republican” by Cook Political Report, and a recent Siena College poll showed former President Donald J. Trump up 14 percentage points over Vice President Kamala Harris in Suffolk County.

Nevertheless, “with voter registration split almost evenly between Republicans and Democrats, according to the State Board of Elections, Mr. Avlon was optimistic that the energy over Ms. Harris’s ascension on the ballot would help his chances.”

Avlon said, “you’re going to see younger folks more fired up… Communities of color are more fired up. Women are going to turn out in even greater numbers. All of a sudden, the contrast is new versus old. It is hope versus fear. It’s a game changer.”

According to the article “Mr. Avlon said that voters in the area were more concerned with the values and policy positions of their politicians and that Mr. LaLota was more concerned with pleasing Mr. Trump, who he endorsed in January, than addressing the needs of his constituents.”

LaLota Gets a Break

The LaLota campaign received a benefit recently “when The New York Post and other outlets revealed that a Gramercy Park co-op where Mr. Avlon and his wife own an apartment is receiving tax abatements. To be eligible for the benefit, Mr. Avlon certified the Manhattan address as his primary residence… The Post and others also pointed out that Mr. Avlon’s Sag Harbor home was listed on Apartments.com telling renters to ‘Check Back Soon for Upcoming Availability.’ (The listing later was taken down.)”

The people Oreskes spoke to seemed indifferent about the issue. “Outside the Dix Hills Diner, patrons seemed less concerned with where Mr. Avlon lives and more focused on the tone and tenor of national politics….Sharon Gabay, a 53-year-old teacher, said she heard the news of Biden’s departure from her 20-year-old daughter who was demonstrably excited to vote for Ms. Harris.”

The article notes that “Republicans’ chances of keeping their majority in the House of Representatives rely on retaining seats like Mr. LaLota’s.”

Issues count, but money matters heavily. “LaLota has a fund-raising advantage, with about $2.2 million cash on hand as of June 30 after bringing in close to $3 million, according to federal records. Mr. Avlon has raised about $2.3 million, but has about $600,000 on hand after a competitive primary. Later this month, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headlining an East Hampton fund-raiser for Mr. Avlon, according to an invitation obtained by The New York Times,” according to the article.