Former Rep. Tom Suozzi is “maniacally looking” for a way to return to his old House seat, pinning his hopes on being named the Democratic nominee in a special election should embattled Republican Congressman George Santos be forced from office, sources told The Post. .
“Suozzi has already been telling everyone and his mother that he is the type… that [House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries] he has elected him,” said a Democratic pundit.
Santos, 35, a freshman Republican representing Long Island and Queens, was exposed as a compulsive liar shortly after his election and now faces federal fraud and money laundering charges.
Although the scandal-scarred politician has vowed to run for re-election, most state-level liberals expect him to resign from Congress, possibly as part of a plea deal.
Several of Santos’s own Republican colleagues have publicly called on him to resign.
A second Democrat who spoke to Suozzi said the former congressman was “maniacally pushing to come back” and “calling to tell everyone that Hakeem loves me.”
Former Rep. Tom Suozzi has been “telling everyone and his mother” that he should return to Congress. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Sipa U
Suozzi declined to comment.
Suozzi represented the seat in Congress for three terms.
He usually won with comfortable majorities and in 2020 he beat Santos by 12 points.
He is considered a safe bet to take on whoever the Republicans end up running, but he has powerful enemies.
Suozzi left Congress to pursue an unlikely primary challenge to Gov. Hochul in 2022.
Rep. George Santos faces federal indictment for fraud and money laundering but insists he will not resign and will run for re-election.
She came in a distant third with just 13% of the vote, but her harsh campaign announcements and lackluster support for Hochul in his close race against Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee, left lasting bitterness, people close to her say.
“The governor is not in love with Tom Suozzi, that’s pretty obvious,” said another person who spoke to her recently, but added that her top priority was eligibility. “I think the Democrats will focus on who is the best candidate to win that race. Whoever it is, he will join behind ”.
A resignation from Santos would trigger a special election, avoiding primaries and allowing party leaders to select their candidates.
Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Party, controls the votes needed to elect the next candidate.
His Republican counterpart, Joe Cairo, previously told The Post that he was being inundated with eager Republicans seeking to run in a special election.
Suozzi insists that he supports the endorsement of the House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.AP
But Jacobs remains deeply unpopular with the party’s left wing, which continues to blame him for the party’s disastrous performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
As such, he cannot afford to appoint anyone who would alienate the governor.
Jacobs’s allies have blamed the disappearance on rising crime and unpopular left-wing policies such as bail reform.
In addition to Suozzi, state Sen. Anna Kaplan and communications executive Robert Zimmerman are also seeking the job.
“Tom is a friend of mine, but I am not committing myself at any time. I have other friends who have indicated interest in running and we are going to look at this fairly and fully when we have a special election,” Jacobs said.
Representatives for Jeffries and Hochul declined to comment.
Santos completely laughed off the speculation and again insisted that he was not going anywhere.
“I have no plans to resign,” he told The Post. “I’m still running.”
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