As candidates around the country kick their campaigns into high gear with control of the House of Representatives on the line in November, the Republican candidate running to replace ex-Rep. George Santos has largely kept a low profile ahead of next month’s special election.
The race to replace Santos in the February election is being watched as an early test for both parties in a district President Joe Biden won in 2020 by eight points, but where Republicans have made major gains in local elections in 2022 and 2023. The winner also stands to affect the near-term balance of power in the U.S. Congress where Republicans are clinging to a razor-thin majority.
While Democrat Tom Suozzi is traversing New York’s 3rd Congressional District to bolster support from the voters he used to represent in Congress, Republican candidate Mazi Pilip has kept her schedule largely under wraps, appearing at events with party officials, avoiding her opponent, and undecided voters, on the campaign trail.
Pilip’s low public profile is proving fodder for Suozzi’s campaign, which is chiding her for “ducking” candidate forums and debates, including one Wednesday morning held by several chambers of commerce on Long Island. Pilip’s campaign said she plans to appear with New York City Councilmember Vickie Paladino at the American Legion Hall in Whitestone, Queens, later in the day.
Her campaign maintains that the Nassau County legislator is running hard, but her lack of visibility in the district — which spans from eastern Queens through the north shore of Long Island — is leading to head-scratching and frustration among some voters who are determined to get to know the candidates before the special election, especially following the scandals that plagued Santos over his ever-evolving and fictitious background.
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