New York's 1st congressional district

New York's 1st congressional district is a U.S. House district located on Long Island. It encompasses the entirety of Suffolk County's eastern towns, including Riverhead, Southampton, East Hampton, and Shelter Island, as well as a portion of central Suffolk County such as Smithtown. The district is currently represented by Republican Nick LaLota, who was first elected in the 2022 election. Historically a Democratic stronghold, it has become a competitive swing district in recent federal election cycles.

History

The district is one of the original congressional districts established following the ratification of the United States Constitution. Its first representative, William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, took office in 1789. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the district's boundaries were centered on New York City's Manhattan and later Brooklyn, electing notable figures like John A. Quitman and Henry C. Murphy. Following the 1960 Census, the district was relocated to Suffolk County on Long Island. For decades, it was represented by Republicans such as Otis G. Pike and Michael Forbes, before Timothy H. Bishop, a Democrat, won the seat in 2002. The district has since oscillated between the parties, with Lee Zeldin's victory in 2014 returning it to Republican control until his retirement prior to the 2022 election.

Election results

Election results in the 21st century demonstrate the district's competitive nature. In the 2000 election, Republican Michael Forbes lost to Democrat Timothy H. Bishop. Bishop retained the seat through several cycles, including a close race against Randy Altschuler in 2010. The 2014 election saw Lee Zeldin defeat Bishop, a victory he repeated in subsequent elections against challengers like Anna Throne-Holst and Nancy Goroff. In the 2020 election, Zeldin won against Bridget Fleming. The open seat in 2022 was won by Nick LaLota over Bridget Fleming in a race rated as competitive by the Cook Political Report.

List of representatives

Representatives since the district's move to Long Island include Otis G. Pike (1961–1979), William Carney (1979–1987), George J. Hochbrueckner (1987–1995), Michael Forbes (1995–2001), Timothy H. Bishop (2003–2015), Lee Zeldin (2015–2023), and the current representative, Nick LaLota (2023–present). Party control has shifted multiple times, reflecting the district's changing political demographics.

Recent elections

In the 2022 midterm elections, Republican Nick LaLota defeated Democratic nominee Bridget Fleming, with the Cook Political Report rating the race as a toss-up. The preceding 2020 election saw incumbent Lee Zeldin win re-election against Bridget Fleming by a margin of approximately 10 percentage points, even as the district supported Joe Biden in the concurrent presidential election. The 2018 election featured a closer race, with Zeldin defeating Perry Gershon. These results underscore its status as a key swing district targeted by both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

District boundaries

The district's boundaries are redrawn every decade following the United States census. The current configuration, established after the 2020 Census and used for the 2022 election, covers eastern Suffolk County. It includes the North Fork and South Fork of Long Island, towns like Brookhaven, Riverhead, and Southampton, and extends westward to include part of Smithtown. Previous decades saw the district cover different areas of Suffolk County, with maps drawn by the New York State Legislature and, following a 2022 court decision, by a special master appointed by the New York Supreme Court.

Category:New York (state) congressional districts