Christopher Gallant

Gallant was born in Smithtown, New York, and lives in Amity Harbor, which is outside the 1st District; he said he would not move into the district if he won.[2][3] He enlisted in the Army at age 17 and trained as an air traffic controller, deploying to Kuwait in 2012. He earned a bachelor's degree from Dowling College in 2014; the VoteVets profile describes his degree as one in Aviation Management.[2][3][4]

Gallant worked as an FAA air traffic controller, most recently at Kennedy Airport, and served as local president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.[3][4] He later became a Black Hawk pilot in the New York Army National Guard. According to the VoteVets profile, his service has included directing emergency operations at the Javits Center during the COVID-19 pandemic and providing air support to the Secret Service during presidential campaigns, and he deployed again in 2022. He also served as an Equal Opportunity representative in the U.S. Army.[2][3][4]

Gallant is a volunteer firefighter with the Copiague Fire Department. He is affiliated with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where Politics NY describes him as a post leader, as well as the American Legion and the Army Aviation Association of America, among other organizations.[2][4][7] He won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary over Lukas Ventouras, 62.9% to 37.0%.[2][7] During the campaign, his Ballotpedia survey said he was running to make Long Island more affordable, improve medical access for seniors and veterans, strengthen infrastructure and restore accountability in Washington.[2][3][4] He received 48.9% of the vote to Nicholas LaLota's 51.1%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]