Party officials fall in line behind former congressman.
The race to replace George Santos is underway.
Former Rep. Tom Suozzi was tapped Thursday to be the Democratic nominee to replace the scandal-scarred Santos in a critical Long Island seat that will be one of the major battleground races in the nation — the first major one of 2024.
New York Democrats are turning to the well-known Suozzi to run in the Feb. 13 special election called by Gov. Kathy Hochul after Santos was expelled from the House last week.
Suozzi’s bid received the backing of Queens Rep. Greg Meeks and Jay Jacobs, the chair of both the Nassau County Democrats and the statewide party, who endorsed him in a joint statement.
In a special election, party bosses pick the candidates to fill the remainder of the term. Then there would still be the potential of a primary in June ahead of the November election for a full, two-year term starting in 2025.
“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 the statement.
The special election is expected to draw national interest and millions of dollars in campaign spending to the district, which covers parts of Nassau County and Queens. Republicans have yet to name a candidate for the race.
Democrats hope to flip the district in the special election and narrow the razor-thin Republican majority in the House, with New York expected to play a pivotal role in 2024.
An estimated six House seats in New York, five of which are held by first-term Republicans, are considered to be battleground seats next year, including the one Santos represented for less than a year.
