Laura A. Gillen

Democratic

BACKGROUND

• Gillen, 57, of Rockville Centre, is a registered Democrat and is running on the Democratic party line in the general election.
• She was elected to the House in 2024 and was Hempstead Town supervisor from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first Democrat to hold the position.
• Gillen received a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Georgetown University in 1991 and a law degree from New York University School of Law in 2000.

ISSUES

• Gillen said that if reelected her priority remains supporting legislation to “lower Long Islanders’ costs,” including sponsoring a bill, which has not yet passed in the House, that would remove the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions.
• She said fully funding law enforcement is a priority, pointing to her sponsorship of bills that would boost federal money for local police departments and provide increased federal funding to boost anti-drunk driving programs.
• Gillen said she wants to work on lowering healthcare costs, noting her opposition to healthcare and Medicaid cuts in the 2025 tax-and-spending bill.