Top stories of 2018: Zeldin wins Congressional race
The campaign for the November 2018 midterm elections started nearly two years ago, with a bunch of potential Democratic candidates and a group of protesters outside the office of incumbent Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley).
When it was over, Mr. Zeldin had won his third two-year term, getting just under 53 percent of the vote. Nationally, the midterms cost Republicans the majority in Congress, meaning that Mr. Zeldin will be in the minority party for the first time.
His opponent in the November election was Democrat Perry Gershon of East Hampton, a commercial real estate lender who only moved into the district a year ago and who frequently criticized Mr. Zeldin for his support of President Donald Trump.
Mr. Gershon earned the nomination by defeating five other candidates in a Democratic primary, some with better name recognition, including former Suffolk County legislators Kate Browning and Vivian Viloria-Fisher.
Others, such as Assemblyman Fred Thiele, considered a challenge to Mr. Zeldin but ultimately opted to keep his Assembly seat.
On election night, Mr. Zeldin said that while America encourages debate, “our country need to do a better job of coming together.”
And four days later, there were protesters outside his office.