The race for New York’s 4th Congressional District is heating up this spring, and the most talked-about name on the ballot might be someone who hasn’t officially filed.
Laura Gillen, the Democratic incumbent who flipped the Nassau County-based seat in 2024, is drawing a crowded field of challengers from both parties ahead of the June 23 primaries. But all eyes keep drifting toward Anthony D’Esposito, the former Republican congressman who now serves as an inspector general in the Department of Labor, and whether he’ll mount a third attempt at the seat.
He hasn’t said yes. He hasn’t said no. And as of the April 6 filing deadline, he hasn’t filed.
D’Esposito does not appear in Federal Election Commission data for candidates and campaign finance receipts, and efforts to reach him and his staff have not produced a response. The absence is notable given the history between the two rivals. Gillen and D’Esposito have faced off twice already, with razor-thin margins each time. D’Esposito won the seat in 2022, served one term, and then lost it back to Gillen in 2024. In both races, fewer than 10,000 votes separated the two candidates.
That kind of back-and-forth doesn’t just make for compelling political theater. It tells you something about how evenly divided this corner of Long Island really is.
Adding another layer of uncertainty, Government Executive has reported that organizations and officials on the left have raised concerns about a January interview in which they allege D’Esposito violated the Hatch Act, the federal law that prohibits political activity by federal employees. D’Esposito has not addressed those claims publicly, and the question of whether he’ll officially enter the race continues to go unanswered.
Meanwhile, the candidates who have filed are not waiting around for that answer.
On the Democratic side, Gillen faces a primary field that includes Nicholas Sciretta, Frank Lozada, Gian Jones, Taylor Darling and Kiana Bierria-Anderson. Her campaign is making the case that she’s earned another term.
“Congresswoman Gillen has spent her career fighting corruption and working to make life better for Long Islanders,” a campaign spokesman said. “Since taking office, she has delivered for Nassau County by focusing on the biggest issues facing working families and bringing millions in tax dollars from Washington back home. She will continue fighting to lower the cost of living, make health care more affordable, stop the administration’s attacks on voting rights, and keep our communities safe.”
Republican voters will have their own choices to sort through. Dennis McGrath, Brian Miller, Martin Smithmyer and Martin Suber Williams have all filed, according to Ballotpedia. Newsday has also reported that John A. DeGrace, a former mayor of Valley Stream, is seeking the Republican nomination. Like D’Esposito, DeGrace does not yet appear in FEC filings, leaving some questions open there as well.
Efforts to reach the Republican Party of Nassau County for comment have not yet been returned.
What’s shaping up in the 4th District is a primary season with genuine uncertainty on both sides. Democratic voters will have to choose between an incumbent with a clear record to run on and a set of challengers who believe they can better represent the district. Republicans will need to coalesce around a candidate in a field that could still look different depending on whether D’Esposito ultimately decides to jump in.
Primary day is June 23, which gives voters a little over two months to sort through the choices. For a district that has swung back and forth between the two parties in back-to-back election cycles, the primary outcomes could carry real weight heading into November.
For now, Long Island’s political watchers are left reading tea leaves on D’Esposito while a full and active field of candidates campaigns for a seat that both parties believe they can win. The 4th District has proven it’s genuinely competitive. This cycle looks like it will be no different.