Nassau Republicans scramble after John DeGrace exits Gillen challenge

John A. DeGrace, the former Valley Stream mayor and longtime Nassau GOP organizer, "formally declined to accept a spot on the June 23 primary ballot," creating an unexpected vacancy in the Republican field challenging Rep. Laura Gillen in New York’s 4th Congressional District. County election officials notified Nassau County Democratic chairman Jay S. Jacobs of DeGrace’s decision after the declination was filed with elections staff, touching off urgent party conversations in Mineola and Hempstead. ([newsday.com](newsday.com/long-island/politics/gillen-gop-race-fgsq9rtv))

The timing compounds the scramble: the official petition and filing deadline for congressional candidates to appear on the June 23 primary ballot closed on April 6, 2026, while the primary itself remains scheduled for June 23 and the general election for November 3, 2026. New York Election Law, including § 6-158, sets narrow windows for certificates of acceptance, declination and filings to fill vacancies caused by declination, and requires certificates to fill such vacancies to be filed within statutory timeframes measured in days after the last day to decline. That legal framework limits how and when the Nassau County GOP can replace a withdrawn designee. ([ballotpedia.org](ballotpedia.org/New_York%27s_4th_Congressional_District_election%2C_2026))

Nassau County Republican Chair Joe Cairo and county leaders were reported to be racing to finalize a candidate after DeGrace’s exit, even as a contested Republican primary list already shows Dennis McGrath, Brian Miller, Martin Smithmyer and Marvin Suber Williams on the June 23 ballot. With DeGrace’s declination recorded April 10, party operatives on the South Shore — in Baldwin, Freeport and Rockville Centre — face both legal deadlines and intra-party jockeying to consolidate one viable challenger to Gillen. ([newsday.com](newsday.com/long-island/politics/nassau-republicans-congress-dtxbj8sl))

The vacancy sharpens the larger shadow over NY-04: former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who was confirmed as Department of Labor Inspector General on December 18, 2025 and sworn into the post, is widely courted as a potential rematch candidate. D’Esposito’s reported moves toward a comeback have drawn letters and inquiries from Senators Richard Blumenthal and Gary Peters, and scrutiny over possible Hatch Act restrictions for a serving federal inspector general. If D’Esposito enters, many national handicappers say he would likely consolidate GOP backing; if he does not, the current field could produce a bruising primary. ([longislandpress.com](longislandpress.com/2025/12/23/former-u-s-rep-desposito-confirmed-as-labor-inspector-general/))

The district’s competitiveness underscores the stakes: Laura Gillen edged D’Esposito in 2024 by roughly 191,760 votes to 183,157, a margin near two percentage points that keeps NY-04 on national trackers’ radars. Cook Political Report continues to treat the seat as a potential rematch and competitive target, meaning any late shuffle on the Republican side will have outsized effects on fundraising, message testing and advertising buys across Nassau County towns from Garden City to Long Beach. ([ballotwire.com](ballotwire.com/2024ushouseelectionresults/2024-new-york-4th-congressional-district-election-results))

For Nassau Republicans, DeGrace’s late exit is both tactical and symbolic: it has produced an immediate operational headache for Chair Joe Cairo in a district where a single-digit vote swing decides outcomes, and it raises questions about whether the party has a unified pathback to a single, well-resourced challenger. With the April filing window elapsed and state law dictating narrow replacement procedures, the coming days will determine whether the vacancy becomes a vehicle for consolidation behind D’Esposito or a protracted primary that gives Gillen a longer runway to define her opponent. ([newsday.com](newsday.com/long-island/politics/nassau-republicans-congress-dtxbj8sl))