Laura A. Gillen for New York's 4th Congressional District

The first bill Laura A. Gillen introduced in her freshman term in Congress sought to extend Temporary Protective Status for Haitian immigrants, including those she represents in Elmont and elsewhere in the 4th Congressional District.

To move the bill forward, Gillen connected with fellow New Yorker Mike Lawler, a Republican representative whose district has a significant Haitian population and who became a co-sponsor, and Ayanna Presley, a Democrat who heads the House Haiti Caucus in Congress and who filed a discharge petition to force a floor vote.

Gillen, a Rockville Centre Democrat, and her colleagues gathered the necessary signatures and brought the bill to a vote — and it passed with bipartisan support, a rare occurrence for a freshman minority member.

It’s a story that illustrates the tenacity and resilience that Gillen, 57, brought to her first two years in the House — and the dysfunction of Congress as a whole, as the Senate never even took up the bill.

Now, Gillen is seeking another term, hoping to continue and expand upon the work she started. She’s facing an intense challenge from Republican Jeanine C. Driscoll, 59, of Bellerose, who has served as the Town of Hempstead’s tax receiver since 2019.

Even amid a complicated and partisan political landscape, Gillen, who previously served as Hempstead Town supervisor, has tried to make the most of her first two years in Congress.

“I know what my job is,” Gillen said. “My job is to do the best that I can under the most challenging circumstances for my constituents.”

Gillen understands those communities’ needs, from water infrastructure upgrades in the Village of Hempstead to long-sought renovations for the Lakeview Library.

But she also has a deep, thoughtful understanding of the nation’s broader challenges, pointing to a variety of Trump administration policies that, she says, have done “so much damage,” from ending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to immigration, to tariffs and the war in Iran. She provides a clear road map on how to undo that damage, which, she said, is key to lowering costs and improving lives in CD4.

From her perch on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Gillen has focused on water quality improvements along the South Shore. But she also rightly shined a light on other Long Island interests, including the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, which falls under the Department of Transportation and requires significant campus upgrades, and the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON, in Westbury, which handles the region’s air traffic control and needs modern facilities and a return of staff who were previously moved to Philadelphia.

Gillen’s work on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, meanwhile, showcases other interests. She authored legislation to establish regional quantum science hubs, and would like one on Long Island. And she introduced Tyler’s Law, which would direct already-appropriated funds to study youth suicide. She had Republicans on the bill, but still couldn’t move it forward — in part, she said, because leaders didn’t want to give a Democrat in a swing seat a win.

Challenger Driscoll has a deep passion for her work, and a clear familiarity with the Town of Hempstead, which makes up 96% of the district she wants to represent. She spends much of her time doing seminars for town taxpayers, teaching them how to grieve and find exemptions. It’s important work, and she is well versed in it. But beyond that local world, Driscoll is less equipped. And while she said she’s willing to work across the aisle, when asked, Driscoll told the editorial board that she cannot think of anything President Donald Trump has said or done with which she disagrees.

Driscoll, like Gillen, would like to see the SALT cap on state and local tax deductions lifted altogether — but that’s where the similarities end. Driscoll acknowledges that a better functioning immigration system for legal entry is needed but backs Trump’s border tightening and aggressive immigration enforcement policies.

Driscoll said she supports the war in Iran and called tariffs “the price of doing business,” arguing that she hasn’t seen a negative impact on constituents: “I can’t identify a tariff that’s hurt me,” she said.

Instead, she said, they are part of a larger Trump strategy she supports.

“This is how he operates . . . ” she said. “I wouldn’t interfere with that.”

Driscoll said she’d want to fight for infrastructure and road improvements in Elmont, and said she’d like to establish programs and policies that support young adults with autism and other special needs. However, when asked about House committees she might serve on, she hadn't seemed to have given it much thought, eventually mentioning Transportation and Infrastructure or Homeland Security as possibilities. And she had few new ideas for how Congress could address the district’s concerns.

Gillen emphasizes that if Democrats win the majority, they’ll have to put policy over politics. She can bring a moderate voice with a bipartisan bent to the table, to move forward her more sweeping priorities in healthcare, immigration reform and affordability, and the more specific bills and funding asks that could intimately help her district. To succeed, Gillen will need to do both.

Newsday Opinion endorses Gillen.