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Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi joins challengers vying to unseat embattled Rep. George Santos
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Oct 10, 2023
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Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Oct 10, 2023
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Former Rep. Tom Suozzi is jumping into the race for his old congressional seat, aiming to take on incumbent Republican George Santos, who is currently under federal indictment for money laundering and fraud charges.
In an announcement on the social media platform X on Tuesday morning, Suozzi said, “The madness in Washington, D.C. and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the United States Congress is obvious to everyone.”
“You know me. I’ve never sat on the sidelines,” the statement from the Democrat continues. “From cost-of-living to immigration, crime, climate change, combatting terrorism in the Middle East and globally, and simply helping people, we need more common sense and compassion and less chaos and senseless fighting.”
Suozzi, who previously represented the 3rd Congressional District in eastern Queens and the North Shore of Nassau County for three terms before unsuccessfully running for governor, said he would file the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to set up a congressional campaign committee on Tuesday. He also plans to hold a formal campaign launch event after the November elections. He joins a growing crowd of Democrats and Republicans looking to challenge the embattled congressman.
When asked about Suozzi entering the race, Santos said in a text message to Gothamist that his predecessor “won’t clear his primary. He pissed off every New York Democrat by running against Kathy [Hochul] and smearing her.”
“The only person in NY that likes him is Jay Jacobs. Don’t forget he lost Nassau county in the primary,” Santos added, referencing the chair of the state Democratic Party.
While Suozzi enters the field with heightened name recognition, he will likely face a primary contest next June from fellow Democrats. Among his challengers is former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, who announced plans to run for the seat last May, when Santos was indicted on 13 charges related to duping campaign donors and filing false statements with the FEC.
Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges. Meanwhile, his campaign treasurer last week pleaded guilty to falsifying campaign records, including a $500,000 loan Santos falsely claimed he made to his own campaign.
In a statement emailed to reporters, Kaplan called out Suozzi, saying he “abandoned us to George Santos,” when he opted not to run for re-election to the House. She also signaled that she plans to make reproductive rights and abortion access a key issue in the primary.
“The Democratic Party is a pro-choice party, and unlike Tom Suozzi, I will always stand up for a woman's right to choose — period,” Kaplan said in her statement, alluding to how Suozzi, a practicing Catholic, unveiled a program in 2006 that sought to reduce the number of abortions during his tenure as the Nassau County executive.
In 2022, Suozzi ran an unsuccessful primary challenge against Gov. Kathy Hochul. He placed third behind Jumaane Williams, the city's public advocate, and Hochul.
As a candidate for governor, and in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe. v. Wade, Suozzi made comments that were more clearly supportive of abortion rights. “We have to do everything we can to ensure that abortion remains safe, legal and accessible in New York state,” he told Gotham Gazette in an interview.
Other Democrats already in the race include Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan, St. John’s University professor and lawyer William Murphy, democracy advocate Zak Malamed and businessman Scott Livingston. A handful of Republicans are also vying to unseat Santos, including Air Force veteran Kellen Curry and former NYPD detective Mike Sapraicone.
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new york state
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Politics
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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