Suozzi announces bid for governor’s office

Rep. Tom Suozzi announced his campaign for governor of New York State on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021.  House Television via AP

Queens Rep. Thomas Suozzi has thrown his name into the race for New York State’s top executive.

The Democratic congress member representing New York’ 3rd District, which covers a portion of eastern Queens, announced Monday that he is running for governor, challenging incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and several others in next year’s primary election.

“I’m the only one with the proven executive experience,” Suozzi said during a press conference Monday, shrugging off what will be around a year in office for Hochul by the time of the election. “I don’t pander, I’m straight forward, I get things done – you can’t put me in a box. I’m going to do what is right for people.”

Suozzi said he’s going to pitch himself to voters as a “commonsense” Democrat, but resisted being labeled as a moderate or centrist.

“I’ve got a whole history of progressive positions, of moderate positions – I’ve got a proven record of getting things done across the gamut,” Suozzi said. “You can label me however you want, but let’s look at the facts.”

The lawmaker is coming off a major personal victory this month, having successfully advocated for the inclusion of the State and Local Tax Act, which raises the limit on state and local taxes people can deduct from federal taxes, especially high earners, in President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act.

Taxes, which he said were “too high,” are among the top issues Suozzi said he’d address if elected governor. Though he offered little detail on his platform – he mentioned those would come as the campaign season progressed – Suozzi said he’d focus on reducing taxes, decreasing homelessness, fighting climate change and fixing failing schools throughout the state.

When asked about potentially implementing a carbon tax, Suozzi said he felt a policy like that would be better implemented nationally, so as not to put the tax burden on New Yorkers.

“We have to find a balance between New York being a leader...but we also have to make New York a place that people want to live in, and we’ve tried to do this in ways that we’ve just raised the taxes over the years and made it less attractive,” Suozzi said.

The congress member, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016, piggybacked on recent comments by Mayor-elect Eric Adams and said that he’d change bail practices in the state.

“Give judges discretion to keep violent offenders off the street,” Suozzi said.

In New York, judges can only consider a defendant's flight risk when considering bail on bail eligible charges. Suozzi and Adams both said that a defendant's history, including past arrests or violent offenses, should be considered when setting bail.

“I believe in bail reform to an extent...it shouldn’t be based on whether or not you can pay,” Suozzi said. “Give judges the discretion where they can look at the whole case, their record and history, and give them discretion to stop violent offenders from going back onto the street.”

Adams made similar comments last week in a television interview on “The View.”

The relationship between Adams and Suozzi resulted in a job offer last week – the mayor-elect offered Suozzi a deputy mayor position – that Suozzi ultimately turned down to run for governor. Nonetheless, Suozzi said his relationship with Adams would see a new dynamic between the mayor of New York City and the governor of New York, a relationship that has often been fraught with conflict.

“He and I have a real simpatico with each other, as far as these policy issues,” Suozzi said of Adams. “I believe that I can best help the mayor of New York City by being the governor.”

Though he pitched his relationship with Adams as a distinguishing factor between him and Hochul, the candidate he appears to be most politically aligned with, the incumbent has also shown signs that she’s looking forward to working with Adams after she appeared on stage at his recent victory party. Hochul has also worked closely with Mayor Bill de Blasio on several initiatives, including tackling the crisis on Rikers Island.

Suozzi, who previously ran for governor in 2006, also said that his experience across all levels of government distinguish him from his competitors. In addition to his congressional work, the lawmaker has served as the mayor of Glen Cove and the executive of Nassau County.

Suozzi’s announcement comes as the governor’s race begins to look more and more crowded. In addition to Hochul, Williams and James, de Blasio recently filed paperwork signaling a run. Though Hochul is leading the fundraising race, Suozzi said Monday that he’d dip into his congressional campaign’s account, which currently holds around $3 million, to help fund the race.

By running for governor, Suozzi will not run for reelection in Congress, following what was a fruitful election for Republicans in both Long Island and New York City.

He said he enjoys working as a representative but that he felt “this is the job I am made for.”

“Congress is great, and I’m hoping we’re going to win the majority again, we may not, it doesn’t matter,” Suozzi said. “I came into Congress in the minority, I got stuff done in the minority… everything I’ve done has prepared me for [the governor’s office] now.”