The listing of Democratic challengers vying to oust embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., subsequent 12 months grew shorter Wednesday after candidate Zak Malamed dropped his bid for the closely-watched Home seat. The announcement comes as New York’s Lengthy Island grew more and more crimson after Tuesday’s election, with Republican Ed Romaine flipping the Suffolk County Government Workplace to GOP management for the primary time in 20 years.
A handful of candidates have emerged to vie for Santos’ seat in what is predicted to be a part of a gaggle of aggressive congressional races in New York that might decide get together management of the Home. Santos’ seat is amongst 5 seen as key targets for New York Democrats who’re attempting to reverse a sequence of surprising losses within the 2022 congressional elections.
Stepping out of the race, Malamed endorsed former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., to tackle Santos as a substitute.
”Nominating Tom Suozzi is our greatest probability to flip this district blue and finish the poisonous maintain that MAGA Republicans have on Lengthy Island and Congress at massive,” Malamed stated in an announcement, in response to Politico. ”I’ve spent the previous 5 months knocking on doorways, chatting with voters and energizing donors throughout the district. I look ahead to persevering with that work to win this election and to encourage the subsequent era of management.”
GOP FLIPS NEW YORK SEAT HELD BY DEMOCRATS FOR 20 YEARS: ’POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE’
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., watches on the Home ground on the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photograph/Alex Brandon, File)
Different Democrats vying to tackle Santos embrace former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, Josh Lafazan, William Murphy, Steve Behar, Scott Livingston, Austin Cheng and Darius Radzius. Final month, Malamed reported important fundraising successes, reporting $524,000 in money available after elevating $302,000 over three months.
”This second is simply too essential for an intra-party battle,” Malamed stated. ”All of our collective power must be on electing a Democratic majority who can ship reduction for the American folks, help for Israel and help for Ukraine.”
Suozzi had represented the third Congressional District, which incorporates elements of Lengthy Island and northeast Queens, earlier than an unsuccessful marketing campaign for governor final 12 months. In October, he launched a marketing campaign to retake the New York congressional seat held by Santos because the besieged Republican congressman faces a sprawling listing of legal prices.
Then-Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-NY, debates within the race for governor on the studios of WNBC4-TV June 16, 2022, in New York Metropolis. (Craig Ruttle-Pool/Getty Photos)
”Right now I’m submitting a committee to run for Congress in November 2024,” Suozzi wrote on X, asserting the bid. ”The insanity in Washington, D.C., and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the USA Congress is apparent to everybody.”
TRUCKER WHO FAMOUSLY OUSTED LONGTIME NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT LOSES BID FOR SECOND TERM
An accountant and lawyer, he was elected to Congress in 2016 and survived a troublesome re-election in 2020. Suozzi beforehand served as mayor of Glen Cove from 1994 to 2001 and as Nassau County’s elected govt from 2002 to 2009.
Santos has to date resisted calls to resign following a federal indictment filed in Could alleging he duped donors, embezzled cash from his marketing campaign, lied in monetary disclosures submitted to Congress about being a millionaire and obtained unemployment funds when he was not eligible. He has pleaded not responsible.
Rep. George Santos leaves the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, on Friday Oct. 27, 2023. Santos has pleaded not responsible to a revised indictment. (AP Photograph/Stefan Jeremiah)
Federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment in opposition to Santos final month, alleging he additionally stole the identities of his political donors and used their bank cards to make tens of hundreds of {dollars} in unauthorized prices.
In October, Santos’ ex-treasurer pleaded responsible to a fraud conspiracy cost and implicated Santos in a scheme to decorate his marketing campaign finance studies with a faux mortgage and pretend donors.
After his election, information retailers revealed that Santos had fabricated massive elements of his background, together with making up tales about the place he went to school and the place he labored, telling folks he was a Wall Avenue dealmaker with an actual property portfolio when he was truly struggling financially and had confronted eviction from a number of residences. Santos additionally lied about his heritage, saying he was Jewish when he was not.
The Related Press contributed to this report.