Laura Gillen for New York's 4th Congressional District

The 4th Congressional District lies almost entirely in the Town of Hempstead. The local geography is a potent decoder of a contest that could determine control of the House of Representatives. After all, all politics is local.This swath of Nassau County captures the dominant political currents of 2024. Will protecting reproductive freedom be a catalyst for suburban women and independents? Are immigration and border security hitting hard because of New York City’s struggle to handle an influx of migrants? Will Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket spur high turnout from the district’s considerable concentration of minority and Asian voters? Do Orthodox and conservative Jewish voters further consolidate behind Donald Trump amid the reverberations from Oct. 7?All are factors. But in the end, the race could be a barometer of voters’ tolerance of the culture of brazen nepotism in Hempstead, the heart of the Nassau County Republican machine.Republican incumbent…