Democrats tap Suozzi to run for Santos’ seat

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, triggered when Santos’ fellow lawmakers voted to remove him from the U.S. House last week.

In Suozzi, who previously held the congressional seat for six years, Democrats picked an experienced candidate with name recognition and an existing campaign footprint in the district.

“I will work day and night with both parties to deliver for the people to make living here more affordable, safer, and better,” Suozzi said in a statement. “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.”

The race for the district, which includes parts of Long Island and a small section of the New York City borough of Queens, is expected to draw significant attention as both parties zero in on New York as a potential battleground for control of the House. Republicans have not yet announced their candidate.

The election also provides Democratic leaders in New York with a chance at redemption after the party lost a handful of suburban congressional districts in last year’s elections, giving Republicans a House majority.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, drew heavy criticism for the losses in New York, and there has been a substantial financial and organizational effort from the party apparatus to retake the seats. She met with Suozzi this week in Albany to quiz him on his strategy for winning back the seat and to ensure he was in line 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, our responsibility is to take back the House of Representatives from the Santos-type Republican Party and to 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.

In the meeting, Suozzi also apologized for ethical questions he raised about the governor and her husband when he ran against her in the Democratic primary for governor last year.

“It was in his interest to make sure the conversation went well,” Hochul said.