About Ian R. Cohen
Long Island has given me everything. I grew up here, built my career here, and raised my family here. And like a lot of people in NY-1, I’ve watched Washington fail us, year after year. Our cost of living continues to climb, our kids can’t afford to build a life here, and the politicians we send to Congress spend more time fighting for their party than fighting for us.
I’m not a Democrat. I’m not a Republican. I’m a Long Islander and I’m running for Congress because this district deserves a representative who answers to the people of NY-1, not to party leadership in Washington.
Who I Am
I’m a lifelong Long Island native: born here, educated here, and raising my family here. I attended the University of Maryland College Park, where I interned on Capitol Hill in the fall of 2005, getting a firsthand look at how Washington works (and doesn’t work). I spent a semester studying abroad in Australia, broadening my perspective before coming home.
After earning my law degree from Hofstra University School of Law and graduating with honors near the top of my class, I spent nearly a decade in Manhattan working on major corporate transactions and launching multiple businesses as an entrepreneur. I represented the Madoff Trustee and helped victims recover money that was stolen from them.
But when my first child was born, there was never a question about where home was. My wife and I moved back to Long Island, where we have lived and raised our family ever since.
I’ve been married for 13 years and am the father of three young children. I’m not running for Congress for a career. I’m running because the community where my kids will grow up deserves better representation than what Washington has delivered.
Why Independent?
Both parties have failed Long Island. The SALT cap, which disproportionately hurts middle-class homeowners in New York, was passed by Republicans and has not been fixed by Democrats.
Our congressman, Nick LaLota, voted to keep the SALT cap in place while talking out of both sides of his mouth on the issue. He doesn’t even live in the district. We thank Congressman LaLota for his military service and two terms in Congress, but it’s time for a change.
Long Island deserves a representative who will fight for full SALT deductibility without qualification, without having to check with party leadership first.
As an independent, I answer to one constituency: the people of NY-1. No party bosses. No special interests. No litmus tests. Just results for Long Island.
Professional Background
Ian R. Cohen is the founder of IRC Legal, where he provides fractional General Counsel services and strategic corporate counsel to founders, executives, and high-growth companies. He brings nearly two decades of legal and business experience. From BigLaw transactional work to serving as an in-house General Counsel, Ian has closed over 500 transactions representing more than $3 billion in total deal value.
He advises on M&A, complex financings, acquisitions, equity structures, and liquidity events, operating as a trusted business partner. Ian has lived both sides of the deal table and at the kitchen table. That perspective, knowing how businesses actually work, what risks matter, and how to get to a result, is exactly what he brings to public service.