Republican George Devolder-Santos faces off against Democrat Robert Zimmerman in New York's 3rd Congressional District election

The race between Devolder-Santos and Zimmerman is the first in US history where two openly gay congressional candidates are running against each other in a general election.

• Republican George Devolder-Santos is running against Democrat Robert Zimmerman in New York's 3rd Congressional District.
• The 3rd District is located in Nassau County. 
• This will be the first time in US history that two openly gay congressional candidates are running against each other in a general election. 

Republican George Devolder-Santos faces off against Democrat Robert Zimmerman in New York's 3rd Congressional District. It's the first US House general election with two openly gay candidates running against each other.

New York's 3rd Congressional District candidates

Devolder-Santos is a Wall Street financier and investor. Prior to his time in Congress, he worked in real estate and capital markets for firms like Goldman Sachs and LinkBridge Investors.  

In a 2020 interview with Island Now, he said, "I'm a gay Republican in New York State. I am probably a walking, living, breathing contradiction."

Zimmerman, Devolder-Santos' challenger, is also an openly gay person and longtime Democratic National Committee member who has advocated for Planned Parenthood, gay rights, Medicare for all, and gun violence prevention. Zimmerman, who clinched Hillary Clinton's endorsement, led the 2022 Democratic primary with 35.7% of the vote, defeating four opponents to clinch the nomination. 

If elected, either contender would be the first openly gay person to serve the 3rd District.

Voting history for New York's 3rd Congressional District

New York's 3rd Congressional District is located in Nassau County on Long Island.

President Joe Biden had a 10 percentage point margin of victory under the district's previous boundaries in 2020 before it was redrawn to shift west in redistricting following the 2020 Census, making it slightly less Democratic.  

The money race

According to OpenSecrets, Devolder-Santos has raised $2.5 million, spent $2 million, and has $603,791 on hand, as of September 30. His opponent, Zimmerman, has raised $2.2 million, spent $1.6 million, and has $611,720 cash on hand, as of September 30.

Through mid-October, spending by super PACs, national party committees, and other non-candidate groups has been fairly light by competitive congressional race standards — about $1 million, including during the race's primary election phase. Of the scant cash spent during the general election by such groups, all has benefitted Zimmerman.

What experts say

The race between Devolder-Santos and Zimmerman is rated as "lean Democratic" by Inside Elections, "lean Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and a "toss-up" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.