Former Assembly member plans to primary Rep. Laura Gillen over ICE funding vote

Former Assembly Member Taylor Darling is planning to run for Congress on Long Island, setting up a competitive Democratic primary with Rep. Laura Gillen in a district that Democrats hope to hold onto as part of the party’s effort to win back control of the House.

“We are with the people,” Darling told City & State Saturday. “The community asked me to run, in light of recent mishaps.”

That “mishap” was Gillen’s Jan. 22 vote to approve increasing funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Gillen was one of just seven Democrats to join Republicans on the spending bill vote, which earned outrage from Democrats who saw the vote as condoning the tactics of President Donald Trump’s deportation regime. 

Gillen defended the vote as funding the good work of DHS, including FEMA disaster relief. But she took a tougher line against the agency in the following days in response to criticism, even calling for the impeachment of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. 

Darling said she was recruited to run after Gillen’s vote. 

“The community had expressed some issues before,” she said. “But that vote was absolutely what triggered a series of meetings, calls from leadership all over New York state and beyond. And when the community called, this time it felt right.” Darling named Tristan J. Salley, a Christian pastor in Rockville Center, as one of those who recruited her, “on behalf of many, many others.” She said she was building a campaign team and would formally launch a campaign “soon.”

Darling served in the Assembly from 2019 through 2024, representing parts of Hempstead in Nassau County. She sought an open state Senate seat in 2024 instead of running for reelection, but lost to Siela Bynoe – who had the personal support of Nassau County Democratic leader Jay Jacobs. 

The 4th Congressional District covers the South Shore of Nassau County. Gillen unseated Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in the swing district 2024 after previously losing to him in 2022. It was widely expected the pair would face off again in 2026, but the November matchup is now less clear. Darling brings political heft to a primary field that already features three lesser-known challengers; Gian Jones, Nick Sciretta and Kiana Bierria-Anderson. And on the Republican side, D’Esposito still hasn’t declared whether he’ll run ahead of the county party’s Feb. 19 convention, Newsday reported. 

Gillen’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment on Darling’s bid. She reported having $2.1 million in her campaign account at the end of 2025, and her campaign announced the endorsement of Rep. Greg Meeks on Saturday, hours after City & State sought comment. Meeks chairs the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, and Darling is seeking to be the first Black congressional representative to represent the district. 

Jacobs, who chairs both the county Democratic party, and the state party, said he hadn’t talked to Darling about her bid, but chided her for planning to challenge a vulnerable incumbent. 

“The most important thing right now is to curb Donald Trump and the MAGA madness. The only way to do that is by electing a Democratic majority and electing Hakeem Jeffries,” he said in a statement. “Personal ambition and opportunism should not allow us to take our off the ball.  Reelecting Laura Gillen, agree with her or not, offers us the best chance to do that.”

But Darling argued the party needs a new candidate if it wants to hold the seat. 

“The community has said they will not be voting for her. So based on what the community has come to me with, she will not win in November,” Darling said about Gillen. “If the general election were tomorrow, she would not win.”