Democrats had been hoping to add more left-leaning areas into New York’s 1st congressional district but the final map did not achieve that. NY-01 will remain slightly more Republican, although the Hamptons (a string of higher-income communities) still give Democrats a base. The district R+3 is seen as Lean Republican.
Fleming is running for Congress to ensure that every child, no matter their race, religion, or gender, has the opportunity to succeed and live out the American Dream. A former prosecutor and Southampton Town Councilwoman, Suffolk County legislator Fleming has spent her career standing up for Long Island families.
Her opponent, Nicholas LaLota, is a Navy veteran who was named to the Amityville Board of Trustees in 2013 and was elected in 2014, and re-elected in 2015. He also served as a commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections. He doesn’t live in the district, though said he will move his family there if elected. His views on abortion are unusual, to say the least, claiming that non-doctors in New York can perform abortions”on a seventh, eighth, or ninth-month baby.” Regarding sensible gun laws, LaLota says it’s “a mental health issue.”
HER BACKGROUND
Fleming has called Long Island home for more than two decades. The daughter of a labor union leader and writer and the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, Fleming and her seven siblings were raised to value hard work and give back to the community.
Fleming is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hunter College’s Special Honor Curriculum and received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she received the prestigious Kramer Award for service to the community.
After starting her family, Fleming worked for almost a decade as an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. As a member of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, she successfully fought for justice for victims of sexual assault. She also served as chief of a unit devoted to attacking fraud in public programs. Fleming then became managing attorney for pro bono programs at the New York City Bar Association, where she led programs focused on homelessness, refugees, cancer, and elder law. When 9/11 shook the nation and the city, Fleming trained volunteer lawyers to help the families of victims of the attack.
Fleming was first elected to the Southampton Town Board in 2010 and since 2016 has served as a representative in the Suffolk County Legislature.
ON THE ISSUES
An advocate for women’s reproductive rights, Fleming fought on the frontlines with others to protect women from the unjust and illegal curtailment of a woman’s right to choose. She believes that no one should have the ability to prevent a woman from making her own health care decisions.
As a lifelong environmentalist, Fleming has made protecting and defending our natural environment a top priority. She will support investment in electric vehicles and the installation of electric vehicle charging stations, move Long Island toward solar and wind energy production, support proactive capital investment to protect coastal resources from the impacts of climate change, and ensure that the EPA is fully funded.
Fleming believes we must eliminate the threat of “ghost guns;” close loopholes around background checks; and ensure that terrorists, criminals, and domestic abusers can’t acquire guns. She supports banning assault weapons, high capacity magazines, and bump stocks, and passing “Red Flag” laws to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a danger to themselves and others.
