WASHINGTON—A former Army warrant officer has launched a campaign for New York’s First Congressional District seat during the 2026 election.
Christopher “Chris” Gallant is a native of Smithtown, New York. On Aug. 5, he announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for Congress.
The First District covers the whole eastern half of Long Island, including the wealthy Hamptons area. He has served as a warrant officer—i.e., a military officer who has not received a commission—in the New York Army National Guard, where he was an air traffic controller and, later, a helicopter pilot.
Gallant is seeking to challenge U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who has served in that office since 2023. The First District has a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) score of “R+4” and has been GOP-held since former Rep. Lee Zeldin, now administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, won the seat from a Democrat in the 2014 election….
Army Veteran Launches Campaign to Unseat New York Rep. Nick LaLota
