Early voting opens in Suffolk County congressional primary race

Early voting was underway across Suffolk County as Democrats chose between Lukas Ventouras and Christopher Gallant for New York’s 1st Congressional District, a contest that will decide who gets the party’s chance to challenge Republican incumbent Nick LaLota in November. The stakes are high: Republicans have held the district since 2014, and LaLota beat Democrat John Avlon in 2024 by roughly 11 points, leaving the next nominee with a steep climb in a district where federal policy reaches into housing, transportation, taxes, storm recovery and coastal protection.

The practical window to vote is already open. New York’s primary election day is Tuesday, June 23, 2026, but early voting runs from Saturday, June 13, through Sunday, June 21. June 13 was also the deadline to register before the primary and the last day to request an early mail or absentee ballot to be received by mail. Suffolk County election officials also started using new voting machines in the 2026 primary, adding a visible change to the first days of voting.

The matchup gives voters two very different resumes. Christopher Gallant is running as a Long Island native from Amity Harbor whose background includes service in the New York Army National Guard, work as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, experience as a former Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller, volunteer firefighting and Army service. Candidate listings also link him to the Copiague Fire Department, and his profile has been shaped by military, transportation and emergency-response work as well as labor leadership. Lukas Ventouras entered the race as a law student from Northport, bringing a different kind of profile to a district where many voters are likely weighing not ideology in the abstract, but who looks ready to handle the daily pressures of Suffolk life.

That contrast matters in a seat that has become one of Long Island’s hardest Democratic lifts. The winner of the primary will not just leave with a nomination, but with the job of trying to turn Suffolk County concerns into a districtwide challenge to LaLota, whose 2024 victory underscored how much ground Democrats still have to make up. For voters heading to early voting sites now, the choice is already live, and the nominee will emerge knowing the general-election fight begins against a Republican incumbent with a strong recent record in the district.