“I delivered for this district before, and I will do it again”, says Suozzi

• I.S. Saluja

NEW YORK (TIP): Tom Suozzi, on December 7, was named the Democratic candidate for the special election to fill the 3rd Congressional District seat left vacant since George Santos was expelled last week.
“Tom Suozzi has a proven record of fighting for his constituents, fighting to safeguard our suburban way of life here on Long Island and Queens and always advocating for sensible solutions to the real challenges affecting everyday average Americans,” said a joint statement from Nassau County Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs and Queens County Chair, Congressman Gregory Meeks.

Jay Jacobs, the state and Nassau Democratic chairman, and Fifth District Rep. Gregory Meeks, the Queens County party chairman, announced Suozzi’s selection as the party’s nominee on Thursday, December 7, after an advisory vote of party executive committee members.

Political party leaders choose the candidates in a special election, according to New York elections law. There will be no primary in the special election.

Meeks said voters “want someone to represent the district with somebody that they know. Many of the constituents previously were coming to other members to get constituency services. Those days will soon be over.”
Jacobs said the race will get, “national attention, as it should.”
“We have begun already. We knew this day was coming,” he said.

Suozzi, who held the seat from 2017 through 2022, said in a statement he would “work day and night with both parties to deliver for the people to make living here more affordable, safer, and better. I delivered for this district before, and I will do it again by putting you ahead of partisanship. Let’s reject the nonsense and get back to work. Let’s Fix This!” National Republicans and Democrats view the Third District race as key to the battle for control of the House. After Santos’ expulsion and California Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s resignation at the end of the year, Republicans will be able to lose only three votes on a party-line vote and still get a bill passed, if every House member is in attendance.

The Third District includes parts of Queens and the North Shore of Nassau County, as well as parts of southwestern Nassau. The district has more than 531,000 registered voters, state board of election filings show. 38 % are registered Democrats, 28% are Republicans and 28% are not registered with any political party.

Whoever wins the special election will have to run for election to a full two-year term in November and could face the prospect of having to run in a June party primary. The job pays $174,000 a year.

Suozzi is a former mayor of Glen Cove and two-term Nassau County Executive. In the House, he sat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and served as a vice-chair of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus.

Suozzi, who did not seek re-election in 2022, instead ran that year for New York governor. He finished third in the Democratic primary. The Third District has changed substantially since 2020, the last time Suozzi ran for the seat, when it included parts of Suffolk County. The election takes place on Feb. 13. Republicans are expected to choose their challenger early next week.