Long Island Democrat Thomas Suozzi has announced his bid to retake his former congressional seat, currently held by scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). Suozzi’s announcement comes as speculation grows that Santos could be forced out of office. Suozzi stated that he will be filing a committee to run for Congress next year and plans to launch a formal campaign after the local elections in November.
“The madness in Washington, DC, and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the United States Congress is obvious to everyone,” Suozzi said in a statement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Suozzi previously held New York’s 3rd Congressional District seat for three terms, defeating Santos in 2020. He gave up his congressional seat last year to run for governor but lost to incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D). Before serving in Congress, Suozzi was Nassau County’s executive and mayor of Glen Cove, N.Y.
In a significant development, Santos’s former campaign bookkeeper, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty last week to making false statements, obstructing federal campaign regulators, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with the congressman’s fraud and money-laundering indictment.
Santos himself was charged in May with several financial crimes, including defrauding campaign donors and lying about his work status to obtain pandemic-related unemployment benefits he wasn’t entitled to. He is also accused of falsifying information on financial paperwork submitted to the House of Representatives. Santos has denied all charges.
The congressman’s scandals have given him a national reputation due to the astonishing number of false claims he made about his background and qualifications while seeking office.
Suozzi has long been a critic of Santos, referring to him as “a con man” in an op-ed for the New York Times before Santos was sworn into office. Suozzi called for Santos’s removal from office either through Congress or by prosecutors, as he believes there is no indication that Santos will voluntarily resign.
Other Democratic contenders seeking Santos’s seat include Democratic fundraiser Zak Malamed, former N.Y. state senator Anna Kaplan, and Josh Lafazan, a member of the Nassau County legislature.
Both Malamed and Kaplan criticized Suozzi for leaving his congressional seat to run for governor. Malamed said voters on Long Island know better than to give Suozzi a second chance, while Kaplan highlighted Suozzi’s abandonment of the district to Santos. She reaffirmed her commitment to a woman’s right to choose, contrasting Suozzi’s stance.
Santos also faces primary challenges from several Republicans, including investment banker and Afghanistan war veteran Kellen Curry, former New York Police Department detective Mike Sapraicone, and former Israel Defense Forces member Daniel Norber.
It remains to be seen how the race for New York’s 3rd Congressional District will unfold, but with multiple candidates vying for the seat and a scandal-plagued incumbent, the outcome is sure to capture attention.