Suozzi tapped for former seat, GOP pick coming soon

Former Representative Tom Suozzi was tapped by the New York Democratic Party as their nominee for the special election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.  AP file photo by John Minchillo, File

By Ryan Schwach

Former representative Tom Suozzi was tapped by the New York Democrats as the party’s nominee in the special election to replace the recently expelled George Santos. 

Suozzi, the expected Democratic candidate, will now run to win back the seat he held for six years before leaving to run for governor in 2022, allowing Santos to win the vacant seat.  

The pick for the Queens and Long Island district was made by New York State and Nassau County Party Chair Jay Jacobs and Queens County Democratic Party Chair Representative Gregory Meeks. 

“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,” they said in a joint statement.

Suozzi previously spent time as the county executive of Nassau County, and the mayor of Glen Cove. 

“The folks from Massapequa and Levittown to the north shore of Nassau, to northeast Queens deserve better,” Suozzi said in a statement following the nomination. “I will 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!”

The GOP has yet to select the candidate they hope will keep the district red. 

Tony Nunziato, the chair of the Queens GOP, said that a committee to pick the nominee had been meeting all last week, and has narrowed their list down to five names but “are still figuring it out.” 

He told the Eagle the party will select their candidate by Monday.