{"id":2112986,"date":"2023-12-01T05:26:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T10:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suozzi-eyes-congressional-comeback-as-part-of-santos-succession-plan\/"},"modified":"2023-12-01T05:34:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T10:34:01","slug":"suozzi-eyes-congressional-comeback-as-part-of-santos-succession-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suozzi-eyes-congressional-comeback-as-part-of-santos-succession-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Suozzi aims for congressional return in Santos succession strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsuozzi-eyes-congressional-comeback-as-part-of-santos-succession-plan%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2112986&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>GREAT NECK, New York \u2014 Tom Suozzi: A Political Rollercoaster<\/h2>\n<p>Lots\u2062 of candidates and officeholders have their ups and downs in politics. But few can point to as many elective highs and lows as former New York Democratic Rep.\u2063 Tom Suozzi.<\/p>\n<p>Suozzi was already running\u2062 to reclaim\u200b his old Long Island-based House \u200bseat from fabulist Rep. George Santos (R-NY) when the House Ethics Committee spurred a \u2063renewed expulsion\u2062 effort. The Nov. \u200d17 House floor motion by Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest \u2062(R-MS), which could be taken up at \u200dany time the chamber is in session, follows the ethics panel&#8217;s report showing evidence the freshman lawmaker engaged \u200bin unlawful conduct\u200d that is \u201cbeneath the dignity\u201d of Congress.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>FOOD STAMPS: PAYMENT\u2063 DATES FOR DECEMBER\u2064 SNAP BENEFITS<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Guest, in filing the\u2063 motion, cited &#8220;substantial evidence&#8221; from the ethics investigation that Santos had knowingly violated the\u200c law while running for Congress last year and\u200b misused campaign funds for\u2064 personal use. \u2064Although the report did\u200c not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyc-could-create-a-reparations-task-force-and-tear-down-statues-of-george-washington-and-columbus\/\" title=\"NYC may establish a reparations task force and remove statues of George Washington and Columbus.\">recommend specific action<\/a> be taken against Santos, Guest and several other Ethics\u200b Committee members said it rose to the level of \u200cexpulsion. Each has said individually they&#8217;ll vote to expel Santos.<\/p>\n<p>The 56-page report\u2064 detailed \u2062the findings of its monthlong investigation into Santos, 35. The report\u200c concluded he \u200chad <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/george-santos-faces-third-expulsion-push-in-the-house\/\" title=\"George Santos faces third expulsion push in the House\">knowingly filed false<\/a> or\u2063 incomplete reports to \u2064the Federal Election Commission, used \u2062campaign funds for \u200dpersonal purposes, and\u200d \u201cengaged \u2062in knowing and willful violations\u201d in relation to the \u2064Ethics in Government Act.<\/p>\n<p>Santos has maintained his innocence \u2063even after\u2063 the report was released, decrying the investigation as politically motivated. Two 2023 federal indictments allege 23 fraud-related\u2063 charges against Santos, to which he has pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n<p>However, the \u2062first-term incumbent said he would not run for reelection next year. Facing a jump-or-be-pushed situation, and the prospect of being only the sixth\u2062 House member ever expelled from the House, Santos\u2019s imminent \u200cdeparture provides an opening for Suozzi.<\/p>\n<h3>Some Hard \u200bPolitical Knocks But Also Big Wins<\/h3>\n<p>On Oct. 10, Suozzi joined the Democratic nomination field for the northern Nassau County 3rd Congressional District. It\u2019s the wealthiest \u2062House district in New \u200dYork, and its \u2064constituents are\u2063 the \u2063fourth-richest nationally. North Shore Long Island communities include the mansion-strewn enclave of Great Neck, along with Jericho, Syosset, and several others. \u2062The district dips into New York City, taking in \u200cthe Queens neighborhoods of Little Neck and Floral Park, among\u200d others.<\/p>\n<p>President Joe \u200dBiden\u2062 in 2020 would have beaten former President Donald Trump in the 3rd Congressional District\u2063 53.6% to 45.4%. So, Suozzi saw\u200d a comeback bid opportunity as \u200dSantos\u2019s legal and House ethics troubles mounted. Polls show him favored\u2063 over Democratic primary \u2062rival \u200bAnna Kaplan, a former state senator. And\u200c the Republican\u200c field is still forming.<\/p>\n<p>Suozzi represented\u2063 a similarly shaped House district from 2017-23 after a long career in local government. Suozzi\u2019s current attempt \u2063to\u2064 return to the House marks the newest chapter\u200d in a career that \u200dhas seen some\u2064 big successes \u200band dire lows.<\/p>\n<p>Suozzi, a \u200ccentrist \u200clawmaker, left the House in the 2022 cycle to wage a failed Democratic primary bid against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), who \u200chad taken over the previous summer from scandal-plagued former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.<\/p>\n<p>A\u200c positive portion of \u200cSuozzi&#8217;s political\u200d arc began in 2001 when the eight-year Glen Cove mayor\u200b made history as the first Democrat to win the Nassau County executive&#8217;s office in more \u2062than 30\u200d years. That victory marked\u200d the end of a storied, old, once-powerful local Republican machine that had run its\u2063 course in an era of more reformist politics.<\/p>\n<p>But \u2063while \u2063Suozzi won reelection four years later, what followed was a disastrous political decade that\u2064 saw him lose the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Attorney General Eliot \u200cSpitzer in \u2064an epic 82-18 wipeout.<\/p>\n<p>Suozzi then\u2063 lost the Nassau\u200d County\u2062 executive\u2019s job in 2009 to Republican Ed Mangano by a heartbreakingly close margin of 354 votes \u200dout of more than 254,000 cast. Suozzi\u2019s 2013 \u200bcomeback attempt\u2064 against Mangano for Nassau County executive was a disaster, losing in a \u200b59% to 41% landslide.<\/p>\n<p>Suozzi&#8217;s political career looked over after that loss. But he unexpectedly got the chance for one more\u200c comeback in 2016 when Democratic Rep. Steve \u200dIsrael decided to retire. Suozzi prevailed in a crowded Democratic primary field, and in November beat his Republican opponent 53% to 47%.<\/p>\n<p>Suozzi had\u2064 no trouble \u200dwinning reelection to the House \u2064seat. In 2020 he even beat rookie candidate Santos 56% to 43%, two\u200d years \u2062before the\u200b Republican claimed victory in the newly \u200ddrawn version \u2062of the district \u2014 in a campaign strewn with \u2062lies about his\u200c biography and finances that&#8217;s now leading to his expulsion from the House after less than a year in office.<\/p>\n<p>Yet Suozzi wasn&#8217;t\u200b content to stay put politically. He challenged Hochul for New York governor, with\u200b a call to cut taxes, hire more police\u200c officers, and modify the state\u2019s landmark 2019 bail reform law. But his 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary bid was equally disastrous as his first one 16 years earlier. Hochul\u200b won easily,\u200b with 67%\u2064 to 19% for New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams\u200b and just 13% for \u2063Suozzi.<\/p>\n<p>Then \u200dSuozzi had \u2063to watch \u2063from the sidelines as Santos flipped \u200cthe House seat he held \u2014 a victory that quickly \u200bunraveled amid media reports over the congressman-elect\u2019s false statements concerning his background. Suozzi\u200b gave a\u200c hint of another comeback bid to come \u200dwhen, on his last day in office as a House \u2063member, he published a New York Times \u200bop-ed titled, \u201cA Con Man Is Succeeding Me in Congress Today.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Less Than Full House<\/h3>\n<p>Santos\u2019s pending departure comes just as the 435-member House finally reaches full capacity. There have been vacancies for months due to lawmaker resignations.<\/p>\n<p>House Republicans\u200b currently hold \u2063a slim 222-213 chamber, with a pair of vacancies filled by new Reps.\u200c Gabe Amo (D-RI) and\u2062 Celeste Maloy (R-UT), who\u2063 won \u2063House \u2064special \u2063elections \u200cin November. With Santos gone, House Republican leaders will have \u2063even less margin for \u200derror as they navigate a series of unfinished federal\u2062 spending bills that have been delayed by infighting among GOP\u200d lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>Congress will look to \u200btackle funding the government for\u2063 the rest of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024. Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) successfully ushered a &#8220;laddered&#8221; continuing resolution to President Joe\u200c Biden&#8217;s desk earlier in November,\u2062 which the Democratic chief executive signed into law. The first tranche of funding is set to run out in late January, with the remainder\u200b expiring in early February.<\/p>\n<p>Some House Republicans\u2064 have rebelled against Johnson \u2014 after helping evict former \u200dHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) \u2062from that top role \u2014 for passing bipartisan spending measures. And the legislative math will be even more complicated \u2063after Santos\u2019s House departure, whatever\u200c the date, and during the duration of his absence until a \u200cspecial election can be held,\u200c which Suozzi will be \u2063running in.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) \u2063recently announced he\u2019ll leave Congress in February.\u2063 Higgins, \u2062a congressman since 2005, is set to\u2064 be president of Shea\u2019s Performing Arts Center\u200c in Buffalo. That will tee up a special election in\u200c the \u200cspring for the 26th Congressional District, part of \u2064Erie and Niagara counties, which leans heavily Democratic.<\/p>\n<p>And \u200dRep. Bill Johnson (R-OH)\u200d is set \u200cto become the president of Youngstown State University by the \u200dend of March. First elected to the House in 2010\u200c after a career in the Air Force \u2064and then business, Republicans will have no problem holding the southeastern Ohio and Youngstown \u2063area 6th \u2063Congressional District in a special election a few months \u200cafter Johnson\u2019s departure. Once strongly Democratic territory, Trump is quite popular\u2064 there now, and in 2020 would\u2062 have crushed Biden in the district\u200b 63.7% \u2062to 35%.<\/p>\n<p>So, every vote will \u2064count \u200cin the confounding legislative knot lawmakers will have to unspool in\u2062 the coming months. On top of the regular, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-remain-divided-with-only-days-to-avert-shutdown\/\" title=\"House Republicans still divided, running out of time to avoid shutdown.\">annual \u2062appropriations bills<\/a>, the Biden White House and Senate Republican leaders want passed a bill to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-3-in-4-say-its-important-us-fund-military-aid-to-israel\/\" title=\"Poll: 75% Believe US Should Fund Military Aid to Israel\">fund military aid<\/a> to \u200dUkraine, \u200din its defensive war against Russia, and Israel, \u200din its response to the Oct. \u20637 terrorist attacks in the \u2063country&#8217;s southern realm that killed about 1,200 people.<\/p>\n<p>House\u2064 Republican leaders are enthusiastic about the Israel part of the funding,\u200b but there&#8217;s \u2062opposition among GOP rank-and-file to spending on Ukraine. Getting a foreign\u200b aid package passed probably means including Republican-backed measures beefing up spending on U.S. border security  <\/p>\n<h2> What \u2062potential challenges does the House face in passing federal spending bills with\u2064 a slim majority?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Raised concerns\u200c about \u2063the thin majority and the potential impact it could\u2063 have on passing critical legislation. The\u200b loss \u2063of Santos only adds to their challenges.<\/p>\n<p>As\u200c for Suozzi, this\u2063 rollercoaster of a political career has\u2063 had its fair share \u2063of \u200cups and downs. \u2063From his historic win as Nassau\u200d County executive to his \u2063devastating losses in the gubernatorial race, Suozzi has experienced both triumph and\u200b defeat. However, \u200che\u200c has always managed to find a way to bounce back.<\/p>\n<p>Now, with Santos&#8217;s impending expulsion,\u2064 Suozzi sees an opportunity to\u2064 return to the House and represent the 3rd Congressional District once again. Polls show\u2063 that he is favored over his Democratic\u200b primary rival, Anna Kaplan, and the Republican field is still taking shape.<\/p>\n<p>But there is still much work to be done. The\u2062 House is\u200d facing \u200ca series of unfinished\u200c federal spending bills, and with a slim majority, every vote counts. House \u200dRepublican leaders\u200d will have \u2062to navigate these challenges carefully to ensure the smooth passage of critical legislation.<\/p>\n<p>In the \u200dend, Suozzi&#8217;s political career is a testament to\u2063 resilience and determination. He\u200d has \u200bfaced setbacks and obstacles,\u2063 but he has always managed to come back stronger. Whether he succeeds \u200cin his bid to \u200breclaim\u200d his House seat remains\u200b to be\u200c seen, \u200cbut\u200c one thing is\u200b certain &#8211; Tom Suozzi is a \u200cpolitical force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GREAT NECK, New York \u2014 Former New York Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi has experienced numerous highs and lows in politics. He is currently running to regain his previous House seat from Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who has been accused of fabricating stories. Suozzi&#8217;s political journey has been eventful and challenging<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2112987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2112986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2112986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2112987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2112986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2112986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2112986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}