He is the 18th House Democrat to leave this cycle.
Representative Tom Suozzi of Long Island announced on Monday that he is leaving Capitol Hill to run for governor of New York, joining an increasingly crowded field of Democratic candidates. Suozzi joins current Governor Kathy Hochul, who took over the job in August after former, and New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has not ruled out a run when he has been asked about it by reporters. „I’m a common sense Democrat. I don’t believe it’s about going to the far left or to the far right,“ Suozzi told reporters on Monday. „It’s not about being politically correct. It’s about doing the correct thing to actually help people.“ Suozzi previously ran for governor in 2006 when he lost the nomination to then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer by about 60 points. Over the weekend, Suozzi turned down a role in New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams‘ administration, saying that he believed the best way he could help Adams is „in elected office.“ Since he was first elected in 2016, Suozzi has been a more moderate Democrat in Congress, most recently to include a provision that repeals the „SALT“ deduction cap. The state and local tax deduction cap limits the amount of state and local taxes that taxpayers can deduct from federal taxes to $10,000. Suozzi highlighted this fight in a campaign video released Monday. Suozzi said he wants to lower New York’s property and income taxes, fix ailing schools and put more police on the streets to fight crime. Suozzi, from suburban Long Island, represents a different part of the state as the other frontrunners, with Hochul coming from Western New York and James and Williams representing New York City.
