The New York Democratic Party revealed it has chosen former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) to fill the vacant seat left by former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.).
Nassau and Queens County Democratic chairmen Jay Jacobs and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) issued a statement on Thursday announcing Suozzi had been chosen as their nominee in the upcoming special election in the Third Congressional District of New York.
The decision to tap Suozzi as the nominee would give him a chance to reclaim the seat he had held until he declined to run for re-election and instead ran for New York governor in 2022 against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).
“Tom Suozzi has a proven record of fighting for his constituents, fighting to safeguard our suburban way of life here on Long Island and Queens and always advocating for sensible solutions to the real challenges affecting every day average Americans,” the statement from Jacobs and Meeks said.
“We look forward to working with the Suozzi Campaign, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to restore integrity, competence and a focus on the real needs of our larger community in the Third Congressional District,” Jacobs and Meeks added in the statement.
Jacobs’ and Meeks’ announcement came a week after the House voted 311-114 to expel Santos, making him the sixth member to ever get expelled in the history of the House.
Santos’ expulsion came after a House Ethics Committee report accused the New York congressman of “seeking to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”
The expulsion of Santos came as he has faced backlash since last year after admitting that he had fabricated parts of his resume.
New York law states primaries will not be held for special elections and that local parties will pick their nominees. The special election to replace Santos’ vacated seat will take place on Feb. 13.