Democratic New York Rep. Tom Suozzi will run in his state’s 2022 gubernatorial election, forgoing a fourth term in Congress.
“I’m running for governor of New York State. I’m very excited about it, I feel great about it, and my family feels great about it,” he said at a press conference Monday. Suozzi served as Nassau County Executive from 2002 to 2009, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2006. He previously declined an offer from incoming Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams to serve as deputy mayor, an appointed position.
Suozzi claimed that his “competence, ideology, and vision for the future” make him the ideal candidate. He was recently added to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s target list for 2022. Suozzi won New York’s 3rd Congressional District by twelve points in 2020, and redistricting is expected make it easier to remain in Democratic hands.
“Everything in my life has prepared me to do this particular job at this particular moment,” he said. “As county executive in Nassau I turned a county around that was on the verge of bankruptcy. I reduced the crime.”
You can watch the live stream of my 11am press conference today on News 12 Long Islandhttps://t.co/8dIieMT9XF
— Tom Suozzi (@Tom_Suozzi) November 29, 2021
“In Congress, everyone knows that my big fight has been to restore the State and Local Tax (SALT) cut,” Suozzi added. “I’m a common-sense Democrat. I don’t believe it’s about going to the far left or the far right, it’s about going to find the answers to the problems that we face. I’ll work with anybody. I’ll work with Democrats, I’ll work with Republicans, I’ll work with progressives.” (RELATED: Moderates Threaten To Tank Budget Unless It Includes Tax Cut That Would Mostly Benefit The Rich)
Suozzi is the second member of New York’s congressional delegation to announce a run for governor, with Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin declaring in April. Republican Rep. Tom Reed considered a run for the executive job, but decided to retire after being accused of sexual harassment.
Suozzi is the 18th Democrat in the House to decline to run for reelection, and the seventh to seek a different office. Twelve Republicans have also announced that they will leave after the current term.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul leads New York Attorney General Letitia James by double digit points in Democratic primary polling. A poll released Monday by In The Field Global found that 30% of Democratic primary voters are still undecided on who they would support. Hochul replaced disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in August after he resigned in the face of sexual harassment allegations from eleven women.