Laura Gillen

Laura Anne Gillen (born July 10, 1969) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 4th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the town supervisor of Hempstead, New York. Her district includes central and southern Nassau County, a suburban area on Long Island.

Early life and education Gillen was born on July 10, 1969, in Rockville Centre, New York, and grew up in Baldwin with her four siblings. She attended Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead before earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government from Georgetown University in 1991. She became a scuba diving instructor in Thailand and later volunteered with the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India.

Upon returning to the United States, Gillen enrolled at the New York University School of Law, where she earned a Juris Doctor in 2000.

Early political career In 2017, Gillen narrowly defeated incumbent Anthony J. Santino for Hempstead Town Supervisor, becoming the first Democrat in over 100 years elected to the position. In that election, Gillen was outspent by $1.2 million dollars and won by a margin of 2,268 votes.

During her 2017 campaign for supervisor, Gillen criticized Santino's treatment of fellow town board members Bruce Blakeman and Erin King-Sweeney. The two town board members took issue with a Santino proposal to restrict board members from taking more than $125,000 in outside income. While Santino denied it, the two attorneys argued that it was an attempt to throw them off the board. Blakeman would later cross party lines to endorse Gillen in October.

In May 2018, Gillen released a five year capital plan which included rehabilitation of a town 311 facility and a water testing lab and $160 million in capital highway spending.

Gillen lost her 2019 bid for reelection as supervisor to Republican Donald X. Clavin Jr., then the town's receiver of taxes.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2022

In 2022, Gillen ran for New York's 4th congressional district in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections. The seat was being vacated by incumbent Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice. Gillen won the Democratic primary, but lost the general election to Republican Anthony D'Esposito.

2024

Gillen announced she would run against D'Esposito again in 2024. She defeated him in the general election, flipping the seat. During her campaign, she said she opposed the implementation of congestion pricing in lower Manhattan.

Tenure In 2025, Gillen was among 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.

On March 6, 2025, Gillen was among 10 Democrats in Congress who joined all of their Republican colleagues in voting to censure Democratic congressman Al Green for speaking during Donald Trump's State of the Union Address.

Gillen was the first elected House Democrat to publicly decline to support Zohran Mamdani after he won the 2025 New York City Democratic mayoral primary, stating that "his entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs."

In December 2025, NBC News and The New York Times reported that Gillen had voted against a bill to reopen the federal government and then touted the money the bill delivered to her district. After the federal government was reopened, primarily with Republican votes, after a 43-day shutdown, Gillen was among Democrats who "claimed credit for some provisions in the bill."

On January 22, 2026, she voted to pass HR 7147 funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, including funding for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In May 2026, Gillen was one of 8 Democrats in the House who voted to pass the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act which would ban the teaching of concepts related to transgender topics, and prohibit schools from allowing children to change their preferred gender pronouns or permit trans children to use their preferred bathrooms or locker rooms without parental consent.

In June 2026, Gillen was one of 10 House Democrats to sign onto the pro-capitalist, anti-socialist initiative, Promise to America after three candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America won Democratic primaries.

Committee assignments

For the 119th Congress:

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Subcommittee on Aviation

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Caucus memberships Congressional Equality Caucus New Democrat Coalition Black Maternal Health Caucus Labor Caucus

Personal life Gillen is married to Christopher Finegan, a producer. They have four children and live in Rockville Centre, New York. She is Catholic.