Suozzi makes triumphant return to Congress, vows to continue delivering for 3rd District

Tom Suozzi was inaugurated on Wednesday night in the House of Representatives where he said he is ready for the challenge. He will once again represent the 3rd Congressional District, which includes all of the North Shore, parts of Queens, Massapequa and Levittown filling the seat vacated by Republican George Santos, who was expelled on Dec. 1, 2023.

The former three-term congressman, who won a special election on Feb.13 against the Republican’s challenger Mazi Melesa Pilip, is a lifelong Glen Cove resident who has been a career politician for the past 30 years. Suozzi left Congress to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in the 2022 gubernatorial race but lost the Democratic primary.

Suozzi, 61, who was introduced on Election night by Jay Jacobs, chairman of the state’s Democratic Committee, as “the comeback kid of Nassau County,” survived a tough eight-week campaign season capturing 54 percent of the vote.

When he was sworn in, he implored his colleagues to do the work they were elected to do.

"Mr. Speaker, on the night of my election victory I promised the people of Long Island and Queens I would deliver a simple message to this chamber: Wake up,” Suozzi said. “The people are sick and tired of the finger-pointing and petty partisan politics.”

Many of his supporters said they voted for him because of his record of delivering for his constituents and his ability to work across the aisle, which Suozzi promised to do once again. His name recognition, compared with the relatively unknown Pilip, appeared to have been one of the major factors in his re-election.

During his speech, Suozzi reiterated the concerns of his constituents and their feelings of helplessness, unable to persuade their elected leaders to make much needed changes.

People are worried about the cost of living. They are worried about the chaos at the border. They are worried about Israel and Ukraine,” Suozzi said. “They look to Congress, and what do they see? The extremists are getting all of the attention. We are letting ourselves be bullied by our base. We aren't getting anything done.”

Suozzi promised to do everything possible to honor our nation’s legacy

“We all know what politics has become, let's think about what it could be,” he said. "What if today, we each remembered why we ran for office in the first place. Let's get back in the solutions business."