Former Assembly Member Taylor Darling is planning to run for Congress on Long Island, setting up a competitive Democratic primary with Rep. Laura Gillen in a district that Democrats hope to hold onto as part of the party\u2019s effort to win back control of the House.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are with the people,\u201d Darling told City & State Saturday. \u201cThe community asked me to run, in light of recent mishaps.\u201d<\/p>\n
That \u201cmishap\u201d was Gillen\u2019s Jan. 22 vote to approve increasing funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Gillen was one of just seven Democrats<\/a> to join Republicans on the spending bill vote, which earned outrage from Democrats who saw the vote as condoning the tactics of President Donald Trump\u2019s deportation regime.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gillen defended the vote<\/a> as funding the good work of DHS, including FEMA disaster relief. But she took a tougher line<\/a> against the agency in the following days in response to criticism, even calling for the impeachment<\/a> of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.\u00a0<\/p>\n Darling said she was recruited to run after Gillen\u2019s vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe community had expressed some issues before,\u201d she said. \u201cBut that vote was absolutely what triggered a series of meetings, calls from leadership all over New York state and beyond. And when the community called, this time it felt right.\u201d Darling named Tristan J. Salley, a Christian pastor in Rockville Center, as one of those who recruited her, \u201con behalf of many, many others.\u201d She said she was building a campaign team and would formally launch a campaign \u201csoon.\u201d<\/p>\n Darling served in the Assembly from 2019 through 2024, representing parts of Hempstead in Nassau County. She sought an open state Senate seat<\/a> in 2024 instead of running for reelection, but lost to Siela Bynoe \u2013 who had the personal support<\/a> of Nassau County Democratic leader Jay Jacobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 4th Congressional District covers the South Shore of Nassau County. Gillen unseated Republican Rep. Anthony D\u2019Esposito in the swing district 2024 after previously losing to him in 2022. It was widely expected the pair would face off again in 2026, but the November matchup is now less clear. Darling brings political heft to a primary field that already features three lesser-known challengers; Gian Jones, Nick Sciretta and Kiana Bierria-Anderson. And on the Republican side, D\u2019Esposito still hasn\u2019t declared whether he\u2019ll run<\/a> ahead of the county party\u2019s Feb. 19 convention, Newsday reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n