The GOP Machine Feared MAGA Voters Would Pick Someone Worse-- So There Was No Primary
Newsday in the largest newspaper on Long Island. I always thought of it as a Republican-leaning newspaper. Republicans think of it as Democratic-leaning. It endorses candidates from both parties. Over the weekend, the editors published two editorials on the Nassau-Queens special election to fill the House seat George Santos disgraced and got tossed out of. One editorial is a fulsome endorsement of Tom Suozzi. The other is an exhaustive explanation of why Mazi Pilip is the wrong candidate for the job. First, why are they getting behind Suozzi, a decision that will nearly give the Democrats a lay-up shot to take over running the House at some point? (You can help Suozzi’s GOTV effort here.)
“Timing,” they wrote “is everything in politics. Sometimes, the right moment in history can make or break a candidate, as Thomas Suozzi knows only too well. He has enjoyed stunning victories and humbling losses. His experiences in the realities of government, and the lessons learned from them, are what Suozzi uniquely offers as the Democratic candidate in the Feb. 13 special election for the Third Congressional District. The winner will serve the remaining 10 months in the term left open by the expulsion of disgraced Republican George Santos in December. Instead of getting caught up in the endless partisan rancor fomented by the extremes in both parties, Suozzi repeatedly demonstrated in his three previous terms a collegial ability to reach across the aisle and work within the sharp divides of his party to find consensus. Suozzi’s strength is building relationships to get what is needed for his district. Even with the House currently under GOP control, Suozzi’s understanding of the chamber’s byzantine rules and power structure, along with his relentless focus on results, are essential in this period of polarization.”
Suozzi, 61, is clear and specific about his priorities for the Third District. As more federal funding is being allotted for infrastructure, he wants to secure money to upgrade the Long Island Rail Road’s Oyster Bay line, improve roadways, and help local water districts eliminate “forever” chemicals in the water supply. With the money allotted to each House member, known as earmarks, Suozzi wants to start pilot projects in three school districts for early intervention for students who need mental health services.
“This is a very important moment in history,” Suozzi says about his reasons for seeking to return to the House of Representatives. “Trying to change the tone of conversation in our nation is a very important mission.” We agree.
…Through the ups and downs, Suozzi consistently showed his inclination, particularly while in Congress, to work with both Republicans and Democrats to effect important changes on matters vital to the nation and, especially, Long Islanders. Suozzi helped convince the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman to agree to a 2020 cleanup agreement for the ‘Grumman Plume’— the polluted site in Bethpage that has posed a severe threat to underground drinking water supplies. He also pushed federal officials to raze two decrepit buildings at the Northport VA Medical Center— when that facility was located in his district— while fighting to upgrade services for Long Island veterans seeking medical care there.
While in Congress, he worked constructively with then-Rep. Peter King on gun legislation, strengthening the nation’s defense, support for Israel, and a host of other issues. Together, King and Suozzi wrote a March 2019 newspaper opinion piece supporting a sensible bipartisan deal on immigration that would make the border more secure while providing a path to citizenship for many people already living illegally in the United States.
While GOP detractors seek to tag him as an out-of-touch liberal extremist, Suozzi is ready to help forge political compromises to alleviate the migrant crisis, even if it is to the chagrin of progressive members of his own party. That’s part of his appeal at this moment in history. It is imperative to secure the border; given his previous experience in Congress, Suozzi is much more likely to be part of a solution than his opponent.
If elected, Suozzi wants to renew his effort in Congress to rescind the $10,000 cap on federal income tax deductions for state and local taxes— a burden for Long Islanders with high property taxes. In 2021, Suozzi was a leader in the successful effort to get the House to vote to raise the SALT cap to $80,000 as part of the Build Back Better Act, but the Senate refused to go along with the House proposal. If given another chance in Congress, Suozzi says SALT’s repeal is a top priority.
Suozzi merits a return to Congress. The Third Congressional District can only benefit from his deep experience and institutional knowledge. The winner of this race will likely be sworn into office within days of the election. There is no opportunity to learn on the job.
Newsday endorses Suozzi.
The editors were less kind to Pilip and the same Nassau GOP machine that picked Santos and thinks she’d make the perfect replacement for him. She has demonstrated not a scintilla of evidence that she knows the first thing about governance and she’s turned down a dozen debates and candidate forums. She is, wrote the editors simply “seeking to ride a rocket of anger launched by the nation’s border mess all the way to Congress. But after the votes are counted and the teams of consultants, pollsters and image-makers depart, the tough job of representing the 770,000 residents of the Third Congressional District begins. A complex skill set of government knowledge, political experience and access to power is needed to be an effective lawmaker on immigration, additional funding for Israel, and government spending during the extreme partisan divide in Washington right now.”
They wrote that “She did not make herself available for an endorsement interview with the editorial board, so our assessment of her political skills is based on having met with her during her 2021 and 2023 campaigns for the county legislature and closely monitoring her work as a legislator…Pilip told the editorial board in 2021 that discrimination against her and an incident her biracial son had on a Great Neck schoolyard shape her views. ‘I know what being discriminated against’ is about, she said. ‘I grew up in Ethiopia as a minority Jew… I moved to Israel when I was 12 years old. And we were also a minority, a Black person there… I went through this all my life.’ She advocates for a balance: Law enforcement must be well-funded and supported, but also educated on cultural differences. She suggested regular psychological assessments to identify officers undergoing stressful episodes that could affect their performance.” They noted that she is “short on solutions.”
But on the current issue powering her campaign, where her life experiences are also relevant, she is silent.
The National Republican Campaign Committee is spending millions in television ads to make the influx of migrants in New York City the primary cudgel to defeat her Democratic opponent, Thomas Suozzi. Yet, House Republicans are trying to thwart a bipartisan Senate bill that would help make the border more secure.
The urgent question for Pilip is how she would vote on the bill. And what are her positions on an overall revision of immigration rules?
Pilip could be a strong voice for her diverse constituents. Would she support granting legal status to those brought here as minors? Does she see a path to permanent legal residency for those who have built successful lives while living in the shadows? Pilip married a U.S. citizen and moved to New York in 2005. What is her position on family reunification? Would she increase quotas to allow more immigration? She hasn’t answered these questions.
When asked about abortion, Pilip, the mother of seven, says she personally opposes abortion but that women should control decisions over their bodies. Why then did she accept the line of the Conservative Party, which has fought for decades to make it illegal? Pilip says she won’t vote for a national abortion ban. But such a vote is unlikely to happen.
…In the 2021 interview, Pilip was unfamiliar with the county’s fiscal watchdog, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which plays a crucial oversight role, especially on county contracts with its public service unions. She asked for an explanation of NIFA, then said, “We have to be more responsible and work together and solve the issues.” After serving two years, Pilip in her 2023 interview still had limited understanding of NIFA and county finances. Similarly, she also showed little understanding of the dire problems facing the Nassau University Medical Center.
Asked in October what she could do to get Nassau to speed up the spending of millions of dollars awarded for opioid intervention and treatment programs, she said bail reform is the problem.
Pilip hasn’t made the case that her slim track record has prepared her for the giant leap to Congress. For her entire time in elective office so far, Pilip has relied on the Republican Party to tell her what to do rather than doing the hard work of learning the issues and developing her policy priorities. There is no reason to think anything will change if she heads to Washington.
She is often accompanied at campaign events by a GOP party validator such as Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman or Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who step in to answer questions for her. She has agreed to only one debate.
Pilip, a registered Democrat, says she will change her registration after the election and admits she failed to vote in elections from 2016 until 2020, the year she began to have political ambitions.
For so many reasons, we have little confidence she can be the practical lawmaker and independent voice her district needs. Nassau Republicans once again have put their brand behind an unknown and inexperienced candidate in the hopes their political machine can get out enough votes to put Pilip over the finish line. It’s a deeply cynical move that disrespects voters and threatens to continue the paralyzing inability of Congress to fix the nation’s pressing problems.
Pilip is the wrong person for the job.
Even Santos said, yesterday on CNN, that he won't vote for her, although his reason is that he considers her "Republican-lite." She's been bending over backwards to be more MAGAty in recent days and twisting herself into a pretzel to please Trump supporters without offending too many normal people. Remember, Biden beat Trump in the district-- the way it is currently configured-- by over 8 points.
