Voters Guide: Representative in Congress, District 1: Nicholas J. LaLota

Republican candidate Nick LaLota and Democratic candidate Bridget Fleming took the stage at Newsday’s Studio 2 to answer questions posed by the public and Newsday’s political team. Watch it here.

NICHOLAS J. LALOTA

REPUBLICAN

BACKGROUND: 

• LaLota, 43, of Amityville, is the chief of staff to the Republican presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature and is the former Republican commissioner for the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
• He also served on the Amityville board of trustees from 2013 to 2016. 
• LaLota is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has a law degree and master’s degree of business administration from Hofstra University.

ISSUES: 

• He said he will seek to require voters to present identification to vote, but would also provide free ID cards to voters who don’t have them. He would seek to limit the use of absentee ballots to those who can’t vote in person, as a way to limit the potential of voter fraud. 
• LaLota said he would work to reduce inflation, which he blames on the Biden administration. He would work to reduce the cost of medications under the Medicare health care system. LaLota would support a measure to add police as a protected class, which would increase penalties for attacking police.  
• He said he would advocate for more federal funding to improve roads, bridges and other infrastructure. He opposes President Biden’s executive order in 2021 that required executive branch employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. He supports providing Israel with $3.8 billion in annual security assistance.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.