Nancy Goroff declares victory in Democratic primary for Congress

Democratic congressional candidate Nancy Goroff has declared victory in the June 23 party primary.

Goroff said she won the primary election by a 630-vote margin, with 17,905 votes, compared to 17,275 for Perry Gershon and 13,696 for Bridget Fleming.

“I am honored to have earned the support of thousands of Democratic voters across New York’s First District, and to have earned the Democratic nomination to take on Lee Zeldin,” Goroff said in a statement.

Zeldin, the Republican incumbent, is seeking his fourth term in the House of Representatives. He unseated former congressman Tim Bishop in 2014. Zeldin beat back a challenge by Gershon in 2018, 52% to 48%.

“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 hyper-partisan spin over science and over the needs of our community,” Goroff said.

“Now more than ever, we need a change in leadership in NY-01. I am deeply grateful to the Democratic voters of this district for giving me the chance to take on Lee Zeldin and, hopefully, represent our district in Washington,” Goroff said.

NY-01 experienced record turnout in the Democratic primary this year — 49,664 voters, more than twice that of the 2018 primary, she said.

“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,” Goroff said.

She praised Gershon and Fleming “smart, talented and good-hearted leaders.”

Goroff said Zeldin has let the district down. Zeldin has consistently shown he is “more interested in defending President Trump’s political interests than the people he has been elected to represent,” she said.

“Time after time, he has voted and advocated against our healthcare, our environment, our safety, and so much more,” Goroff said, labeling him a “science-denying, anti-choice, out-of-step extremist.”

“We deserve better leadership in Washington,” she said.

Zeldin issued a statement about the primary result. He did not reference his opponent by name but defended his record, boasting that “the Lugar Center and Georgetown University currently rate me as the 12th most bipartisan member of the House of Representatives.”

“My entire life has and continues to be in service to America and Long Island, working on behalf of our neighborhoods so they are not forgotten and ensuring our country has everything it needs to fight the battles of a constantly changing world,” Zeldin said.

“America is at a crossroads,” he said, criticizing efforts by some to defund or disband police departments and to “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,” he said.