Democrat · New York's 4th District · 2026
Laura Gillen
Gillen taught scuba diving in Thailand before becoming a New York lawyer.
Biography
Laura Gillen once worked at a dive school in Thailand, leading excursions for certified scuba divers as a divemaster.1 Asked about her least popular opinion, she pointed to requiring her children to keep their rooms neat.1 She grew up in Baldwin and now lives with her family in Rockville Centre.2
Gillen attended Sacred Heart Academy and was a Baker Scholar at Georgetown University.2 Her volunteer work included helping during the AIDS crisis and serving at Mother Teresa's Home for the Dying in Kolkata.2 She studied law at Georgetown and New York University, worked as a litigator at Cahill Gordon & Reindel and represented domestic violence victims through its free legal services program.2
She was elected Hempstead town supervisor in 2017.2 Her work there included infrastructure improvements, efforts to recover damages for water contamination and legislation concerning sexual harassment and veterans' benefits.2 In her first House term, she serves on Transportation and Infrastructure and Science, Space and Technology, with transportation assignments covering highways, aviation and water resources.2
Gillen is the Democrat seeking reelection in the 4th District.3 She has made living costs a central issue, proposing an amendment in 2025 to remove the cap on the state and local tax deduction.4 In January 2026, she backed the House effort to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, another part of her focus on household health costs.4
Record and controversies
Disputed tax advertising
About both candidates: Laura Gillen and Jeanine Driscoll
Gillen's September 2026 advertising said Driscoll sided with party leaders and "delivered" a 12 percent Town of Hempstead tax increase.5 Driscoll said her office collects taxes but does not set rates.6 New York law assigns adoption of the town budget to the Town Board and defines that board as the supervisor and council members.78 Hempstead's official FAQ describes the receiver's responsibility for collecting and distributing payments to schools, the county, the town and special tax districts.9
Fellowship compensation complaint and dismissal
A 2024 FEC complaint alleged that payments through a nonprofit policy fellowship were prohibited corporate contributions to Gillen and other former candidates.10 Gillen's response said she performed genuine public safety policy research, participated before deciding to run again and left the program before filing her next candidacy.11 In March 2025, the FEC voted four to zero to dismiss the allegations.10 Its adopted analysis concluded that the recipients were not federal candidates during the fellowship and found no record basis to contradict the explanation that payments compensated actual work, rather than influencing a federal election.12