Nicholas Joseph LaLota ( lə-LOH-tə; born June 23, 1978) is an American politician and veteran serving since 2023 as the U.S. representative for New York's 1st congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.
LaLota was first elected to Congress in 2022. He is a member of the moderate Republican Governance Group.
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Early life and career
LaLota was born on June 23, 1978, and is from Bay Shore, New York. He graduated from St. Anthony's High School and, in 2000, from the United States Naval Academy. He served in the U.S. Navy for eight years, serving three overseas deployments. He earned a Master of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University. LaLota served as chief of staff to Suffolk County presiding officer Kevin McCaffrey. He also served on the Suffolk Board of Elections as well as a trustee for the village of Amityville, New York.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
LaLota ran for the United States House of Representatives in the first congressional district of New York to succeed Lee Zeldin, who ran for governor of New York. He won the general election on November 8 by defeating the Democratic nominee Bridget Fleming.
On December 27, 2022, LaLota became one of the first Republicans to call for a full House Ethics Committee investigation into the false claims made by his fellow Long Island Republican, representative-elect George Santos. "New Yorkers deserve the truth and House Republicans deserve an opportunity to govern without this distraction", LaLota said. On March 7, 2024, during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, Santos posted on social media that he planned to run against LaLota in the 2024 Republican primary.
LaLota sought reelection in 2024. He defeated Democratic nominee John Avlon.
Tenure
LaLota was sworn in on January 7, 2023. During his tenure he has been described as a moderate Republican.
In 2023, LaLota was one of 18 Republicans who voted against Jim Jordan's nomination for Speaker of the House all three times.
In September 2024, LaLota was one of six Republicans to sign a bipartisan letter spearheaded by centrist House Representatives in which they pledged to respect the results of the 2024 presidential election.
Political positions
In 2026, LaLota was a cosponsor of the DIGNIDAD Act, which proposes a pathway to legal status for up to 12 million illegal immigrants, paired with stricter border enforcement and mandatory work and restitution requirements.
In 2026, LaLota publicly expressed opposition to banning same-sex marriage, repeal the Respect for Marriage Act, or otherwise undermine the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling, saying, "If government is going to be in the marriage business, it cannot discriminate based upon any of the protected classes, including sexual orientation."
In January 2026, LaLota was one of 57 Republicans who voted against blocking funding for federally driven “kill switch” vehicle technology, allowing regulators to move forward with systems that could monitor drivers and intervene in vehicle operation.
Committee assignments
For the 119th Congress:
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Vice Chair)
Subcommittee on Legislative Branch
Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Committee on Small Business
Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access
Caucus memberships
Climate Solutions Caucus
Republican Main Street Partnership
Republican Governance Group
Problem Solvers Caucus
SALT Caucus
For Country Caucus
Long Island Sound Caucus (co-chair)
Shellfish Caucus
Personal life
LaLota married his high school sweetheart, Kaylie, who is a teacher at Northport High School. They have three daughters. LaLota resides in Amityville, New York.
LaLota is Catholic.
