House Republicans are ramping up late-game efforts to improve their performance in New York's 3rd Congressional District, a seat once held by former Rep. George Santos, who once lies on Long Island.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, the House Republican Party's main super PAC, plans to roll out roughly six-figure ad buys on both cable and streaming in the district, The Post has learned.
Incumbent Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) successfully regained his seat earlier this year in a special election held in February.
Suozzi, who held the seat from 2017 to 2023, faces competition from former state Rep. Michael Ripetri Jr.
cook political report evaluates the race in the district, which includes Nassau County and parts of Queens, as “likely to be Democratic.”
But Republicans appear optimistic that Suozzi can sway the district by about 8 percentage points early this year.
The Congressional Leadership Fund ad buy, which is expected to include more TV spots later this week, marks the first time the Republican PAC has spent on a congressional election in the 2024 cycle, excluding special elections.
PAC operatives claim Suozzi's “poll numbers are shockingly soft” and point to several polls showing former President Donald Trump with a narrow lead in the district. I am quoting.
The group's ads are aimed at lumping Mr. Suozzi in with Mayor Adams, given the congressman's past. Hizzoner's support The mayor had also previously claimed that he wanted him as deputy mayor.
Given the five charges against Mr. Adams (of which he has pleaded not guilty), Republicans hope the mayor's political problems will provide ammunition against Mr. Suozzi.
“Tom Suozzi and Toxic Eric Adams are one bird, and we're going to show Long Island voters how deep their bond is,” Courtney Parella, communications director for the Congressional Leadership Fund, told the Post. told.
In recent weeks, top Republicans in Congress have expressed interest in the Empire State. Republicans managed to flip four seats in New York during the 2022 cycle, thanks in part to redistricting turmoil.
It is widely believed that there are currently about six competitive seats in New York state, and Democrats hope to retake some of them.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) previously told the Post he was “very bullish” on “flipping a seat or two” in New York. He warned that the toughest races for Republicans will be against Reps. Mark Molinaro in the 19th District, Anthony D'Esposito in the 4th District, and Brandon Williams in the 22nd District.
The House of Representatives currently consists of 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats. And the battle for control of the House is widely expected to be close.
Over the weekend, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) tripped over Molinaro's support during a rally in Schodack, New York.
“He's one of the key fighters in the fight against this declining Democratic Party in New York State,” Stefanik told attendees, before praising him as one of the hardest-working members of Congress.
Molinaro is locked in a tight race with Democrat Josh Riley. The Cook Political Report calls this election a landslide.
“This is a part of New York, and I know that I've spent most of my adult life serving and representing upstate New York. That's why Josh Riley He decided to parachute into the district and buy himself a Congressional district, and we will not allow that,” Molinaro rebuked during the rally.
Additional reporting by Vaughn Golden.
