Laura Gillen was born and raised on Long Island, where her family instilled in her values of hard work, community service, and fairness. A graduate of Georgetown University and New York University School of Law, Gillen built her career as an attorney focused on corporate compliance, ethics, and consumer protection. She became the first woman ever elected Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead — one of the largest townships in America — where she worked to root out waste, modernize local government, and deliver more transparent, accountable public services.
After leaving local office, Gillen continued advocating for Long Island families before running for Congress in 2024. In a competitive race for New York’s 4th Congressional District, she defeated the incumbent and flipped the seat — becoming one of the most important Democratic wins of the cycle. She was sworn into the U.S. House on January 3, 2025. Today, Gillen serves on the House Committees on Financial Services and Veterans’ Affairs, where she focuses on lowering costs, strengthening public safety, supporting small businesses, and defending women’s healthcare and reproductive freedom.
Key Issue Stances & Priorities
- Lowering Costs & Strengthening the Middle Class - Gillen has made affordability a core priority — fighting to reduce everyday costs, protect middle-class families from excessive property taxes, and lower prescription-drug prices.
- Public Safety & Community Trust - Gillen supports strengthening law enforcement partnerships, investing in crime-prevention strategies, and improving community safety while upholding accountability and civil rights.
- Reproductive Rights & Women’s Healthcare - She is a vocal supporter of protecting access to abortion and reproductive healthcare, advocating for federal protections to ensure New Yorkers’ rights cannot be taken away by extremist politicians.
- Good Government & Transparency - As Hempstead Supervisor, Gillen reformed an outdated, patronage-driven local government. In Congress, she continues pushing for ethics reform, transparency, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
- Small Business & Long Island Jobs - A strong advocate for local economic growth, Gillen supports small-business tax incentives, smart investments in infrastructure, and policies that help Long Island families thrive.
- Veterans & Military Families - Through her committee role, she works to expand access to mental health services, improve VA efficiency, and protect benefits for those who served.
Accomplishments
- Flipped NY-04 in 2024, delivering a crucial Democratic pickup in a top-tier battleground district.
- First woman elected Town Supervisor in Hempstead’s 375-year history, where she implemented government reforms, introduced modern budgeting approaches, and improved transparency.
- Reformed local government operations, cutting political patronage and advocating for financial accountability.
- Early congressional leadership on cost-of-living issues, veterans’ support, and consumer protections.
- Strong advocate for reproductive rights, positioning NY-04 as a frontline district in the fight to protect women’s healthcare.
I’m laser-focused on the priorities that matter to Long Islanders: tackling our cost-of-living crisis, fixing our broken immigration system, and keeping our communities and law enforcement safe.
- Laura Gillen