Suozzi ‘seriously considering’ run for governor

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Rep. Tom Suozzi told reporters in a Zoom news conference Thursday that he is “seriously considering” running for governor of New York State next year, and will make a decision by the end of the month.

“I’d love to be governor of New York State,” Suozzi said, “and I think I have a great record of accomplishment. I think I’d be great at the job, and I have a vision for New York. I know what needs to be done.”

One of his goals, he said, would be to find ways to make the state more attractive for people to live in, particularly when it comes to tax relief. He said will sit with his team and advisors and see what his chances are over the next few weeks.

“I have to decide whether I think I can win or not,” Suozzi said.

The general election, he said, would not be a problem. “But winning the primary is not going to be easy.”

Additionally, Suozzi said, he has to decide if he wants to give up his current job, in which he said he has developed some strong relationships with colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives on both sides of the aisle.

“If I run for governor of New York State, I’ve got to give up what is a great opportunity for me to serve,” Suozzi said. “It’s a big decision for me.”

During the news conference, he also addressed the results of Tuesday’s election, which saw a lot of losses for Democrats in both state and local elections. “I believe very strongly in the idea that races are cyclical. When a president of a certain party gets elected, the other party does well the next year,” he said. “I think this year was exacerbated because everyone is exhausted from the Trump years and they were looking forward to some stability and normalcy in governing.”

When asked if he is concerned about losing his Congressional seat in the midterms, he said, “Every Democrat in the country should be concerned right now. Unless we fight back against this far left message and deliver for people, everybody should be worried about it.”

He said he believes that people want to see less talk, less extremism and more action.

“The bottom line is, we have to be willing to stand up to the far left, because the message that they are giving from the Democratic socialist wing of the Democratic party is destroying the party,” he said. “It’s not what the American people want.”