Attack Ads Hit John Avlon in His House Primary Bid in New York

For months, the Democratic contest on eastern Long Island to choose a candidate most capable of unseating Representative Nick LaLota, the Republican incumbent, has been cordial, if not overly polite.

Debates between the two Democratic candidates, John Avlon and Nancy Goroff, have focused on bigger-picture national issues, such as abortion, as well as local concerns, like the rising cost of living, with neither of them pursuing a scorched-earth strategy.

But in the final days before the primary on June 25, the tenor has started to change.

Ms. Goroff, who has contributed $1.2 million to her campaign, has run a string of attacks against Mr. Avlon in recent weeks. Mailers have featured images of a laughing Rudolph W. Giuliani — whom Mr. Avlon worked for as a policy adviser and a speechwriter — perched on Mr. Avlon’s shoulder, while television ads have accused him of supporting Republican efforts to slash Medicare benefits, and have said that he ran a “dark money group.”

Ms. Goroff, a retired chemistry professor who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2020, seemed like the prohibitive favorite until Mr. Avlon, a former CNN political analyst and a former editor of The Daily Beast, made a late entrance to the race in February.

They are now the last two Democrats standing in what began as a crowded field, with Jim Gaughran, a former state senator, and Kyle Hill, a former congressional aide, initially also seeking the nomination.

The winner will face Mr. LaLota, a first-term Republican who succeeded Lee Zeldin after he left the post to run for governor in 2022. The Democratic House Majority PAC has characterized the race as “one of the most competitive districts in the country,” while the Cook Political Report has called it “likely Republican.”