Democrat Avlon Wins GOP Backers in Key Long Island Congress Race

Former Republican elected officials including ex-Staten Island Congresswoman Susan Molinari crossed party lines to endorse the Democratic challenger to Representative Nick LaLota in a key US House race on eastern Long Island.

Their support potentially boosts former CNN political analyst John Avlon’s appeal to political moderates in his bid to wrest a seat Democrats see as crucial to winning back the House majority.

John Avlon

Photographer: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Avlon depicted Molinari’s and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s cross-over endorsements — among a group of others who include former Massachusetts GOP Governor William Weld — as reflective of his aim to “rebuild the middle ...