Tom Suozzi has lessons for Biden. Will the president listen? 

He defeated Republican challenger Maji Pilip in Tuesday’s special election to replace the disgraced former congressman.George Santos (RN.Y.) Tom Suozzi has done a lot for President Biden and the Democratic Party. flip an important seat And Republicans’ advantage in the House narrows.

Suozzi’s 8 points winIt’s doubtful whether President Biden will listen to them, even in no less battleground states, but it’s important to President Biden about how to win in areas where voters remain deeply skeptical of Biden, and with the Democratic Party’s shift to the left. provided a great lesson.

As Republicans have contested districts in recent years, Mr. Suozzi has moved to the center, preaching bipartisan solutions and challenging opponents on issues that Republicans have historically used to their advantage, such as immigration and crime.

Or as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. put it Suozzi “sounded like a Republican” even as he tried to downplay the party’s losses near the border.

Suozzi not only moved towards the center on these important issues; hug While Pilip criticized his bipartisanship, Suozzi, as the party’s progressive wing, publicly advocated for unpopular ideas on borders and crime. Blame The “progressive left of the Democratic Party” is “hurting Democrats across the country” with its approach to crime.

On immigration, in particular, a major political vulnerability for Biden and the Democratic Party, Suozzi preempted any attempts to align himself with the left wing of the Democratic Party by: to call Biden closes the border and more. push For deporting an immigrant who assaulted a NYPD officer.

In some ways, Suozzi echoed an earlier discussion I had just a week ago.among them columnmy co-author Andrew Stein and I note that Biden has disappointed Democratic mayors and governors with his progressive approach to immigration, and we hope that Biden and Democrats won’t suffer at the polls. , called on the president to pivot with a more centrist approach.

Specifically, we urge Biden to freeze immigration at the southern border, tighten asylum rules, limit the number of border crossings, and impose unmanageable burdens on local finances and laws on cities like New York. He called for action to be taken to repeal the current “sanctuary city” law. Prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal agencies to deport immigrants who commit crimes. crime Fired and fired at NYPD officers.

Mr. Suozzi may not have fully adopted this approach, but he went further than most Democrats. Simply Mention Suozzi distanced himself from progressives, criticizing the current surge in illegal immigration as an “invasion” and stressing that House Republicans killed bipartisan border legislation by putting politics ahead of national interests. It turned the tide on the Republican Party, which had been successful for years. For using this issue as a weapon against Democrats.

In fact, according to NBC/Marist, a significant number of Americans (41 percent) trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle immigration, but only 3 in 10 Americans trust Democrats. (29 percent). vote.

But by sticking to the right on immigration and crime and eschewing progressive doctrine, Mr. Suozzi was able to win back independent voters in his district. Independents largely deserted Democrats in 2022 because they refused to even address immigration as an issue, leading to Santos’ election. 8 points win Exactly 15 months ago.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., acknowledged the success of Suozzi’s strategy and said Suozzi’s victory is solid proof that Democrats can win on immigration. saying“Border politics are changing before our eyes.”

What Murphy didn’t say is that only if Democrats distance themselves from progressives’ open borders and crime-reducing policies in favor of a common-sense approach that prioritizes border security as a path to citizenship for immigrants. , that politics would change in favor of the Democratic Party. Already on the ground, they are cracking down on the violent crime epidemic plaguing cities across the country.

In other words, whether or not Mr. Murphy is right, the perception that all Democrats are open border advocates who place social justice concerns above the actual social justice concerns of their voters is strongly repelled. Much will depend on whether Biden and other Democrats replicate Suozzi’s strategy to some extent. Legitimate concerns about public safety, crime, and unregulated immigration.

The problem for Biden and the Democratic Party is that it remains very unlikely that the president or his campaign will heed the lessons of Mr. Suozzi’s campaign, that the country has little appetite for far-left approaches to crime and immigration. Although he has not indicated, he will enthusiastically support it. A moderately realistic solution, no matter which candidate proposes it.

Mr. Biden has too often shown himself to be a victim of the far left wing of his party.For example, when polls show that there are many progressives Turning Biden took a sharp left turn over his initial support for Israel’s war against Hamas, even sending an aide to make his administration’s case to Arab Americans in Michigan. regretted This was a “failure” when it first offered full support to Israel.

Similarly, Biden has been pulled to the left even though it alienates the very voters he was trying to win.His fight to cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt follows progressive policies pressure It’s sure to anger working-class Americans who don’t have student loans, and it’s natural to wonder why they would intentionally bail out people who owed tens of thousands of dollars.

Biden has refused to do more than support the bipartisan Senate bill, even as deep blue areas like New York City and Illinois are overwhelmed by immigrants and criticism of his administration mounts. Even progressives support it. slammed Him for that.

All of this means that, if history is any guide, Biden will likely ignore the lesson from Suozzi’s campaign: that centering quality of life issues is a winning strategy. means that it is high.

Of course, if Biden wants to avoid following in the footsteps of progressives on a losing path, what Biden should do is learn the lessons of Mr. Suozzi’s campaign: immediately close the border, tighten asylum procedures, Enforce Title 42, abolish sanctuary cities, and take a tougher stance. Do everything you can to tackle the crimes Americans face, including encouraging cities to abolish cashless bail. Take every possible step to avoid left-wing tax and spend policies that only increase economic burden.

To be clear, this is not to say that Biden’s re-election campaign will be easy, even if he immediately eliminates progressives, and that his re-election campaign will be easy, even if Biden gets rid of progressives right away. have other legitimate health concerns. Additionally, Suozzi benefited from being well known within the district, rather than being a relative unknown.

But it cannot be ignored that Suozzi won landslide victories in contested districts with his moderate, common-sense approach to borders and crime. For Biden, who must win in about six battleground states, there are lessons to be learned, but only if the president chooses to listen.

Douglas E. Schon is a political consultant who served as an advisor to President Clinton and Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign. His new book is “The End of Democracy? Russia and China are rising, and America is retreating. ”