ALBANY, N.Y. — Former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi will be the Democratic nominee in next year's special election to replace ousted Congressman George Santos, New York Democrats announced Thursday.
Party leaders were tasked with choosing nominees for the Feb. 13 election, which was triggered when Santos' fellow lawmakers voted last week to remove him from the U.S. House of Representatives.
In Suozzi, who previously held the seat in Congress for six years, Democrats chose an experienced candidate with name recognition and an existing campaign footprint in the district.
“I will work with both sides day and night to make people's lives here more affordable, safer and better,” Suozzi said in a statement. “I have delivered for this district before, and I will do it again by putting you before partisanship. Let's reject the nonsense and get back to work.”
The race for the district, which includes parts of Long Island and a small portion of the New York City borough of Queens, is expected to draw significant attention as both parties focus on New York as a potential battleground for control of the House of Representatives . The Republicans have not yet announced their candidate.
The election also offers New York's Democratic leaders a chance for redemption after the party lost a handful of suburban congressional districts in last year's elections, giving Republicans a majority in the House of Representatives.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, was heavily criticized for the losses in New York, and significant financial and organizational efforts have been made by the party apparatus to regain the seats. She met with Suozzi in Albany this week to question him about his strategy to win back the seat and ensure he was aligned with the Democratic agenda.
“The most important responsibility we have here in New York State, and I say this as the leader of the Democratic Party in New York, is that it is our responsibility to take back the House of Representatives from the Santos Republican Party type and make sure Hakeem Jeffries is the speaker,” she said this week when asked about the meeting, which was first reported by the New York Times.
During the meeting, Suozzi also apologized for ethical questions he raised about the governor and her husband when he ran against her in last year's Democratic primary for governor.
“It was in his best interest to make sure the conversation went well,” Hochul said.
Suozzi was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 before leaving to launch the failed campaign for governor. He also served as mayor of Glen Cove from 1994 to 2001, and as an elected Nassau County executive from 2002 to 2009.
“Tom Suozzi has a proven track record of fighting for his constituents, fighting to secure our way of life in the suburbs here on Long Island and Queens, and always advocating for common-sense solutions to the real challenges facing the average American,” Democratic officials said in a statement. the nomination.
Potential GOP nominees for the special election include retired police detective Mike Sapraicone, Air Force veteran Kellen Curry and Nassau County lawmaker Mazi Pilip, an Ethiopian-born Jewish woman who served in the Israeli army.
Although Democratic President Joe Biden won the district in 2020, Republicans on Long Island have made strong political gains as moderate suburban voters have gravitated toward the Republican Party in recent years. In last month's local elections, Republicans won several races on the island, including contests in the Santos district.
Santos was embroiled in a scandal after winning the district last year. He became only the sixth member in House history to be impeached by colleagues, and the third since the Civil War, when he was removed from the House last week.
He faces a criminal trial next year on charges that, among other things, he stole the donor's credit card information to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
The special election was called at a time of potential turmoil for New York's congressional districts.
A redistricting case before the state's highest court could lead to a lengthy process of redrawing congressional lines before the November 2024 elections. If the lines are redrawn, February's special election could potentially be the last within the district's current boundaries.