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The battle for New York's third congressional district
FOX 5 NY's Jodi Goldberg shows us how some of the GOP contenders are facing questions about their backgrounds.
Over the weekend, Tom Suozzi kicked off what he hopes will be his congressional comeback. On Monday morning, the democratic nominee was on Good Day New York.
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Suozzi launches campaign for Santos’ house seat
Former New York Congressman Tom Suozzi is now officially a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, a seat he once held. He joined Good Day New York to discuss.
Suozzi, who gave up his congressional seat to run against governor Kathy Hochul, is fighting to get back in Congress. He plans to address the rising cost of living and immigration in his campaign ahead of a February special election.
Political analysts expect it to be close and costly as both parties vie to fill the seat once held by republican ex-congressman George Santos.
For their part, the Nassau Republican Committee has extensively vetted over 20 prospective candidates and says they’re in the final stage of its selection process. Potential names include Nassau Legislator Mazi Pilip, St. Senator Jack Martins, and retired New York police detective Mike Sapraicone.
"Republicans got greatly criticized for not vetting George Santos properly so now it seems like they’re being criticized for being too careful," said political analyst Michael Dawidziak.
We reached out to Pilip who didn’t comment. Martins didn’t return our call. Mike Sapraicone spoke to us about what he calls attempts to smear his character after he was named in a now-settled lawsuit involving the NYPD and a man who was wrongly imprisoned.
Sapraicone also addressed thousands of dollars he previously donated to Suozzi, who may become his opponent.
"As a businessman I’ve given money to both sides for years," he said. "It’s nothing new, and it’s been brought out before."
U. S. Representative Tom Suozzi is seen outside of National Action Network. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Political analysts suggest, unlike the republicans, everything that could be known about Suozzi is already out because of his past in politics.
The GOPs insist the process is going smoothly and according to plan and will announce the candidate in the coming days.