Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul today will endorse Democratic House candidate Jackie Gordon, who is running to flip an open congressional district on Long Island. 

“Jackie Gordon is a combat veteran, an educator and a public servant who is committed to getting results for Long Islanders on the South Shore,” Hochul said in a statement. 

“The same can’t be said about Andrew Garbarino, whose record voting against the Women’s Equality Act and anti-choice positions are out of touch with Long Islanders. At a time when the Trump administration has failed Long Islanders, the South Shore deserves a strong federal partner like Jackie Gordon in Congress that Long Islanders can count on.”

Gordon, the winner of a competitive June party primary, is running for the seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Peter King. She is to face Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino in the November general election. 

Democrats have long eyed the King seat in suburban Long Island as a potential pickup opportunity as the party's enrollment grows in Nassau County. 

Hochul knows something about flipping swing districts: She won a special election to a western New York House seat in 2011 that had been held by a Republican lawmaker.

"It is an honor to have the endorsement of Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who shares my deep commitment to serving the people of New York. There’s so much at stake in this election,” Gordon said. 

“Our health care and economic security are on the line, and I’m running for Congress because Long Island's working families need a champion in Washington who will put them first, not big corporations. Just as I served my community as an Army Reservist, Town Councilwoman, and educator, I will continue to serve in Congress, and I look forward