Laura Gillen is a former Hempstead Town Supervisor who made history in 2024 by flipping a competitive Long Island district that had been held by Republicans. During her tenure as the first Democrat to lead Hempstead in over a century, she focused on ethics reform and fiscal responsibility while tackling local corruption issues. Gillen built her reputation as a pragmatic Democrat who can appeal to suburban voters in a politically divided region, emphasizing kitchen-table economic issues and good governance over partisan politics.