A possible three-way Republican primary 1st Congressional district developed Thursday when Michelle Bond, leader of a cryptocurrency trade group, announced her candidacy.

County Board of Election officials said Bond, of Port Jefferson, CEO of the Association of Digital Asset Markets, had filed petitions with her nominating signatures by the deadline last Friday.

She joins candidate Anthony Figliola of Setauket in challenging Nick LaLota, the Suffolk County Republican Committee's designated candidate for the party's nomination. The primary is on Aug. 23. 

The 1st District seat is one of three open seats on Long Island this year.

1st District Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) is running for New York governor and is not seeking reelection to the House.

Bond, 42, who said she has $300,000 in campaign funds, is a former senior counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission who worked on bank regulations during the Obama administration.

She grew up in Miller Place and Seaford, and graduated from Miller Place High School and Stony Brook University before receiving a law degree from Catholic University of America.

"What I am seeing in Washington are career politicians looking for their next gig while the economy is really running off a cliff," Bond told Newsday Thursday. 

“She continued: "Suffolk County needs a strong candidate. What I see in LaLota is a career candidate. We don’t need more people who go to cocktail parties."

LaLota responded: “There’s a long history of wealthy candidates who parachute into NY1 hoping to win but don’t, and there’s no amount of money — not even bitcoin — that can buy this seat.”

LaLota, a U.S. Navy veteran who reported $282,000 in campaign donations in the first quarter, said, “Congress is better served by members who will fight to protect the dollar rather than promoting an alternative to it.”

Figliola, 41, who grew up in Rocky Point and is a graduate of Stony Brook University, is a former Brookhaven deputy town supervisor who works at Empire Government Strategies.

Figliola, who launched his campaign in January, says he is "not beholden to party bosses" and is running a "grassroots" campaign.

"Politicians are just not paying attention to the people. We have a crisis and our people are hurting," Figliola told Newsday. "People are telling me they are having to make the hard decisions now: Do I pay my utility bills or do I go to Stop and Shop?" 

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