Newsday: Newest LI congressman, Andrew Garbarino sworn into 117th Congress

Garbarino (R-Bay Shore) succeeds former Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), who announced last year that he would not seek reelection after 14 terms in Congress.

Shortly after being sworn in on the House floor with dozens of other lawmakers in a ceremony presided over by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Garbarino said he looked "forward to hitting the ground running to proudly serve Southeast Long Islanders."

"There is a great deal of work to be done to provide relief for our small businesses and communities still struggling with COVID-19 and I promise to fight every day to ensure that Washington, D.C., works for the hardworking people of Southeast Long Island," Garbarino said.

A former state assemblyman, Garbarino, 36, defeated Democrat Jackie Gordon by 6.9 percentage points in November for New York’s 2nd Congressional District, which stretches across parts of Nassau and Suffolk’s South Shore.

Garbarino, who also inherited King’s office suite on Capitol Hill, said he traveled down with his parents William and Peggy Garbarino of Sayville who helped him settle into his new workspace.

"It was like college and moving into your dorm ... I almost sent them to Costco to get me stuff," Garbarino said in a phone interview.