Will Tom Suozzi run for Congress?

Could Glen Cove see one of their own, Tom Suozzi, return to Congress? Although CNBC reported on Thursday there is a chance that the former congressman may throw his hat in the ring to represent the 3rd Congressional District once again, there is no information to support the claim. And calls to Suozzi were not returned on Friday.

Embattled Republican U.S. Rep. George Santos, who currently represents the 3rd Congressional District, remains under investigation by the House Ethics Committee who are looking into violations of campaign finance laws, financial disclosure and sexual misconduct. If found guilty, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Santos would be removed from office. 

There are other ongoing investigations of Santos as well, including those being conducted by Nassau and Queens district attorneys and the New York State attorney general.

The Republican filed with the Federal Election Commission in March to possibly run for a second term, but Santos hasn’t said officially he will run.  

And if he does decide to run for reelection in 2024 there is no guarantee that Suozzi would be the Democrat challenger. Suozzi would have to be chosen by Jay Jacobs, the New York Democratic Committee chair, and Rep. Gregory Meeks of Queens. And he’d have to be approved by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who Suozzi ran against unsuccessfully in the primary for governor.

Jacobs told CNBC Suozzi is considering the run but hasn’t made his mind up yet. Jacobs was not available to speak to the Herald. CNBC also stated that Suozzi has spoken with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries but calls to his office were not returned.  

Suozzi comes with much government experience. He was Glen Cove’s mayor from 1994 to 2001 and was Nassau County executive from 2002 to 2009. Suozzi was elected to Congress in 2017 leaving to run for governor against Hochul.

When Suozzi was elected to Congress, he joined the Problem Solvers Caucus — 29 Democrats and 29 Republicans who meet weekly to try and find common ground — and served as the co-vice chair. The group, committed to bipartisan lawmaking to end the gridlock in Washington, remained important to Suozzi throughout his time in the House. He stayed with them until he left Congress.

“I just always made it a point to get to know people, to understand where they were coming from,” he told the Herald in February. “And even people I disagree with, I still tried to let them know that I’d work with them in good faith if they were working to solve a problem.”