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One of the first-term Republican lawmakers key to the House GOP winning the majority in the last election is projected to lose his seat.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., a retired NYPD officer, was defeated by former local official Laura Gillen in New York’s 4th Congressional District on suburban Long Island, in the shadow of New York City, The Associated Press said Thursday.
Two days after Election Day, the balance of power in the House is still undetermined, with key races yet to be called in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and other states. Democrats and Republicans have now each flipped four seats.
The election was a rematch of the November 2022 race, when D’Esposito beat Gillen and flipped the seat from blue to red.
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Gillen is a former Hempstead town supervisor and previously worked as an attorney representing victims of domestic violence, according to her campaign website.
She was backed by the House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, through their “Red to Blue” program – an initiative pouring resources and funding into seats where Democrats saw an opportunity to grow their numbers in the House of Representatives.
Gillen was endorsed by sitting New York Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman, Grace Meng and Tom Suozzi, among others.
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D’Esposito’s election in 2022 came amid a wave of voter backlash against New York City’s progressive crime policies, when Republicans swept key districts in the suburbs of New York and New Jersey.
He later helped lead the push to expel former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., after his criminal indictment related to fraud and other charges.
However, his campaign was rocked in recent weeks by allegations in a New York Times report that D’Esposito possibly violated ethics rules by previously having his affair partner and his fiancée’s daughter on his payroll.
D’Esposito denied all the allegations when asked by reporters on Capitol Hill in late September.
“There was nothing done that was unethical,” he said at the time.
When asked if he would stay in his race, D’Esposito said, “Absolutely. And win.”
Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.