New York Republicans have nominated Nassau County legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip in the special election to succeed recently expelled GOP Rep. George Santos in the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
Pilip, an Israeli immigrant who was born in Ethiopia and served in the Israel Defense Forces, will face former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, whom New York Democrats announced as their nominee last week.
“Mazi’s incredible life stands in stark contrast to career politician Tom Suozzi,” North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson, the chair of the House GOP campaign arm, said in a statement Thursday. “With Mazi in Congress, Long Islanders will have a representative who stands up to the extreme Hochul-Suozzi agenda, making New York less safe and more expensive.”
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has scheduled the special election for February 13. Under the state’s special election rules, nominees are selected by the county party leaders in the district.
The race to succeed Santos will take on added significance next year, given Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the House – which will only get thinner, at least temporarily, with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaving the chamber at the end of this year. Already, the race for the 3rd District, which covers parts of Nassau and Queens counties, is being discussed as a key bellwether ahead of the November 2024 general election.
Last week, Santos became only the sixth lawmaker to be expelled from Congress after an Ethics Committee report concluded he had “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.” Santos has also pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges, including allegations of fraud related to Covid-19 unemployment benefits, misusing campaign funds and lying about his personal finances on House disclosure reports.
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