A major Republican political committee is throwing its weight behind millennial Republican candidate Mike LiPetri in his bid to defeat veteran Democrat Tom Suozzi in New York's hotly contested House race.
The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, added LiPetri, 34, to its “Young Guns” program on Friday, signaling that the election will be a priority.
LiPetri, a former state assemblyman, is seeking to become the Republican candidate for New York's 3rd Congressional District in the primary election scheduled for June 25.
If successful, the lawyer would go head-to-head against Rep. Suozzi in the highly-anticipated 3rd District, New York State's wealthiest congressional district, which covers parts of Nassau County's north shore and adjacent areas of Queens.
“Mike LiPetri is an incredible candidate who is working day and night to run a strong campaign in New York's 3rd District,” said NRCC spokesperson Savannah Vier.
“His efforts to secure the border, curb inflation and curb crime stand in stark contrast to the more extreme messaging of the Democrats.”
Suozzi, a former Nassau County mayor, served three terms in the House of Representatives before running for governor in 2022 but lost in a landslide Democratic primary to Kathy Hoffle.
But the 61-year-old Democrat returned to the House of Representatives earlier this year, winning his seat back in a special election to replace expelled former Rep. George Santos, who pulled off a stunning upset to flip the seat vacated by Suozzi in 2022.
Republicans argue that Suozzi is the “perfect candidate” because voters consistently rank immigration and the economy as top issues that Democrats have failed to address.
The “Young Guns” program is the highest designation the NRCC can bestow on a candidate.
The program requires candidates to work toward specific goals and achieve benchmarks throughout the election to remain competitive, well-funded and well-known in their districts.
The NRCC said the designation makes it easier for candidates to raise money because Republican donors know this is a competitive election they can win.
Suozzi's camp, seen by independent analysts as the favourites to win the election, appeared unfazed despite narrowly defeating Republican rival Maggie Pilip to succeed Santos.
“Congressman Tom Suozzi will continue to stand with New York families and work bipartisanly for commonsense solutions to secure our border and reinstate SALT. [State and Local Tax] “We will do everything in our power to defend the rights of our people, protect our air and water, and stand up to extremism,” said Kim Devlin, a senior adviser to the Suozzi campaign.
The NRCC previously listed former NYPD lieutenant Alison Esposito, a Republican challenging Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan in the Hudson Valley's 18th Congressional District, as one of its “younger” challengers.
LiPetri is one of 35 lawmakers on the NRCC's “Young Lawmakers” list.
A LiPetri campaign poll released in August showed former President Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris in the district by just 2 percentage points (47% to 45%).
The poll showed Suozzi leading the lesser-known challenger 51% to 37%.
