Former CNN anchor takes on professor in primary aimed at finding Democrat who can win on Long Island

A former CNN anchor and a retired chemistry professor are facing off in a Democratic primary to pick a challenger to U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota in an eastern Long Island congressional district that has been in Republican hands for a decade.
John Avlon, who was a senior political analyst at CNN, is running in Tuesday’s election against Nancy Goroff, a professor emeritus at Stony Brook University. She was the Democratic candidate in the district in 2020, but lost by about 10 percentage points.

Democrats have made the suburban New York City district a priority this year in their bid to reclaim a majority in the House of Representatives. It’s one of several districts in the …