The Nassau County PBA is now focused on supporting Democrat Tom Suozzi in his bid for re-election to the House of Representatives after backing his Republican opponent in a special election earlier this year.
The local police union's shift in favor of Suozzi, 61, is seen as an advantage for the moderate, who has faced criticism for being soft on crime, as he challenges Republican rival Mike LiPetri, 34, for the hotly contested 3rd District seat in Queens, Long Island.
“Tom [Suozzi] “He's a man of his word. He's prepared to fight for his own party,” Nassau PBA President Tom Shevlin said at a news conference.
“Tom is a proven leader and has proven himself to represent us and his district extremely well.”
Since Albany Democrats approved bail reform in 2019 — controversial legislation that eliminated cashless bail for many crimes — local law enforcement unions have largely sided with Republican candidates.
Nassau PBA He already supports former President Donald Trump..
“This is a big thing,” Suozzi said of his support. “I've always supported the police. … We have to defund the police.”
Suozzi slammed calls to “defund” the police, calling it “the most wrong, stupidest idea I've ever heard.”
In February, the Nassau police union supported Republican candidate Mazie Pilip over Suozzi in a special election following the ouster of Councilman George Santos, which Suozzi won handily.
The former Nassau County mayor served three terms in the House of Representatives but did not run for reelection in 2022, instead losing in a landslide to Kathy Hockle in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
LiPetri's camp dismissed the endorsement.
“Don't be fooled: Tom Suozzi is no friend of law enforcement. He voted to repeal qualified immunity, he kicked ICE out of Nassau County, and he's best friends with pro-crime Democrats like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz and Kathy Hockle,” said Mike Falk, LiPetri's campaign manager.
“Police officers and law enforcement families know who really supports the Democrats and who only shows up at election time.”
Republicans believe LiPetri, a former state representative, has a chance to beat the incumbent.
The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the House of Representatives, added LiPetri to its “Young Guns” program last week, indicating that winning the seat is a priority.
