Former CNN senior political commentator and anchor John Avalon handily won the Democratic primary for New York's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday.
Avlon announced his departure from CNN in February after more than 14 years at the company. He defeated Nancy Goroff in the Democratic primary with more than 70% of the vote. according to to the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Avlon received more than half of Goroff's total votes, according to results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections: The former CNN commentator received 19,026 total votes, while Goroff received 8,053.
Great night and a great win #NY01 The primary election – 70-30 – I want to thank every member of our team who worked together to make this happen. We proved that the positive wins over the negative, and that the politics of addition wins over the politics of division. This will be the key to our victory this fall. pic.twitter.com/yenV1YunB8
— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) June 26, 2024
Avlon will face New York Republican Rep. Nick LaRota in November. LaRota was previously challenged for the House seat by embattled former Rep. George Santos, who withdrew his independent bid in April to avoid splitting the field.
“From the beginning of my campaign just 125 days ago, I made my goal and vision for victory clear: I would build a broad, patriotic coalition to defend American democracy by defeating Donald Trump and taking back the House of Representatives,” Avlon said in his victory speech.
Avlon launched his congressional campaign on Feb. 21, shortly after leaving CNN. In a video announcement, the former CNN commentator declared his run for battleground state office an attempt to “defeat Donald Trump” and protect democracy. (Related article: Deceased Democratic Congressman Wins Primary Election)
I'm officially announcing it. #NY01 Because too much is at stake for the country and community I love. Long Island families need someone who will fight for their values, not Trump. It's time for all of us to get off the sidelines. Please join me. https://t.co/fMu8RdLyBL pic.twitter.com/RHWAam8yif
— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) February 21, 2024
LaLota defeated Democratic candidate Bridget Fleming in the 2022 midterm elections. according to He replaced former Republican New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, who resigned to run for governor, he told Fox 5.
Prior to joining CNN, Avlon served as editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast, according to his LinkedIn account.
