Suozzi eyes a special opportunity

Daily Point

Santos' fresh indictments open up new possibilities

Tom Suozzi hit political coincidence Powerball Tuesday morning when his post on X, formerly Twitter, announcing a run for his old congressional seat was followed later in the day by the superseding federal indictment of George Santos, who currently represents CD3. As a plethora of local and national news stories noted the increased jeopardy for Santos, Suozzi’s candidacy got an unexpected publicity boost.

Suozzi is seeking to be the designated Democratic Party nominee if there is a special election. Should Santos resign or be expelled before July 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul must set the date for the off-cycle election. Since there is no primary under the rules, Jay Jacobs and Greg Meeks, chairs of the Nassau and Queens parties, respectively, will choose the candidate for the district that straddles the two counties.

But will Hochul, as the titular head of the state party, try to stop Suozzi? While both Jacobs and Meeks have long-standing relationships with Suozzi, Hochul reportedly is still angry at Suozzi for challenging her in the 2022 gubernatorial primary and doesn’t want him to make another try in 2026.

When The Point asked Suozzi about his relationship with Hochul, he demurred but added, “I will absolutely not ever run a primary against Kathy Hochul again.”

Another twist to the prism is whether Hochul would buck Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries if he thinks Suozzi is the best bet to recapture the seat for the party. Jeffries, the expected speaker if Democrats take back the gavel in 2024, and Meeks, who holds a leadership position in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, are keeping their cards close on the special election choice.

Meanwhile, Suozzi, who served three terms in the House, is trying to clear the field and raise cash for the special election, or a primary fight should Santos try to finish his term. Wednesday, his campaign released a fundraising invitation to show support from his former colleagues. The invitation to the Oct. 24 event, hosted by Rep. Richard Neal, dean of the New England delegation and a caucus whip, lists some of the party’s heavier hitters: Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn, Pete Aguliar, Jamie Raskin, Rosa DeLauro, Josh Gottheimer, Adriano Espaillat, and 30 others.

Suozzi, who said he was headed to Washington Wednesday to shore up more support, will be at the White House Thursday at the invitation of first lady Jill Biden, who is recognizing her heritage by holding the first-ever event there to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

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Talking Point

Ex-LI Rep. King calls House meltdown 'absolute insanity'

Former Rep. Peter King, who retired in 2020 as dean of the Long Island delegation, has his own point of comparison for some of the most extreme and loutish members of today’s Congress. He says they make former Rep. Bob Dornan, who served in King’s time, “look like a moderate leader.”

To get the quip, you have to recall a few things about the Republican from California known decades ago as the congressional firebrand of the right, or “B-1 Bob.” In one famous episode, in 1985, Dornan engaged in a physical scuffle on the House floor with Rep. Tom Downey after describing the Long Island Democrat in a speech as a “draft-dodging wimp.”

Combine that with Dornan’s famously outing Rep. Steve Gunderson as gay during a 1994 floor speech, and his absurdly claiming Rep. Loretta Sanchez unseated him due to “the worst voter fraud in this century,” involving noncitizen voting, while calling her a “pretend Hispanic” — and you pretty much understand King’s comparison.

The context for King humorously referencing Dornan to The Point was what he considers the very, very unfunny ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy that has sent the GOP majority into a chaotic fight to succeed him.

“What happened was indefensible,” King told The Point on Tuesday. “With support from 96 percent of the conference, he should not become the first speaker voted out of the job. It’s absolute insanity. I can’t believe anyone takes [Rep.] Matt Gaetz seriously let alone those seven other clowns.” Gaetz took advantage of a bizarre rule to which McCarthy acceded that allowed any of his members to move to vacate the job.

With the new war in Israel, the CIA, NSA and other agencies would ordinarily brief all four caucus leaders behind closed doors. “We have no one there,” King said of the House Republicans. “It sends a bad signal.”

King converses with and praises the GOP Long Islanders in Congress — except, for obvious reasons, the indicted George Santos. That includes Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota, the latter two still in their first elected year. King said they have been conferring and strategizing with other GOP congressional members, notably Marc Molinaro and Mike Lawler, as to what lies ahead.

“They don’t want to be pushed around by the Freedom Caucus,” King said.

King served during the Republican speakership of Newt Gingrich, to whom the Long Islander became a strong nemesis. Leadership battles were kept mainly in the conference, he said — not to be insular, but to work out the differences.

The congressman from Seaford for nearly three decades added: “You have to have some respect for the institution.”

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

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