“Tom Suozzi won a bellwether special election by doing exactly what he’s always done – remaining laser-focused on delivering for Nassau County and Queens families. In Congress, Suozzi has followed through on his campaign promise to work with anyone to solve tough problems, especially when it comes to securing the border. New York’s Third Congressional District deserves responsible leadership, and Tom Suozzi is well-positioned to hold onto this critical seat,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties From: Ellie Dougherty, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 25, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Mike LiPetri
For more than 30 years, Tom Suozzi has dedicated his career to serving his community and delivering for his constituents. After working as a CPA and attorney, Tom served as Mayor of Glen Cove, Nassau County Executive, and in the U.S. Congress to get results on issues that Queens and Nassau County care most about – from lowering costs, improving public safety, caring for our veterans, providing quality health care, protecting our environment, to bringing people together to address complex issues like securing the border.
Tom has a proven track record of working with anyone to get things done, which is exactly why he won the most competitive special election of the 2024 cycle – an election that’s serving as a roadmap for swing districts on Long Island and across the country.
Back in Congress, Tom has immediately gotten back to work delivering for Queens and Nassau County families who have been betrayed by corruption enabled by the Republican Party. He has also followed through on his campaign promises, especially by working with both parties to find bipartisan solutions to fix the border through his role on the Committee on Homeland Security. Tom was also named chair of the Democratic Border Security Task Force.
Meanwhile, Nassau County Republicans have hand picked yet another failed follow up candidate to serial fraudster George Santos: Mike LiPetri, who has a shameful record that includes inflating his resume, being implicated in a sketchy financial scheme alongside Santos, opposinggun safety measures and reproductive freedoms, praising extreme Washington party bosses like convicted felon Donald Trump and Mike Johnson, and doing nothing to deliver for families in Queens and Nassau County.
Queens and Nassau County voters didn’t have the appetite or tolerance for a Santos 2.0 in the special election, and they certainly won’t stand for more lies and extremism from LiPetri in November. Tom Suozzi is a trusted and effective Congressman who Queens and Nassau County families are eager to once again reelect.
LIPETRI WON’T FIGHT FOR NASSAU COUNTY AND QUEENS
Mike LiPetri – whose only experience in elected office was a brief stint in the New York State Assembly – has a proven record of being completely misaligned on issues that matter to his constituents.
During his time as assemblyman, LiPetri consistently propped up an extreme anti-choice agenda, including voting in lockstep with fellow Republicans against New York’s Reproductive Health Act, which codified Roe v. Wade in New York and decriminalized reproductive health care. This comes as no surprise considering LiPetri ran for the New York Assembly on the Conservative Party line, which has endorsed banning abortion in New York even in cases of rape and incest, and has praised the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In his run for Congress, LiPetri has again embraced the radical anti-choice New York Conservative Party.
But that’s not all LiPetri did in the New York State Assembly to prove he’s out of step with Nassau County and Queen voters’ priorities. When given the chance to improve public safety, LiPetri voted against bills to expand background checks, establish court-ordered extreme risk protection orders against dangerous people having guns, and prohibit non-law enforcement school employees from bringing guns to school grounds. And when he first ran for Congress in 2020, LiPetri boasted that he was “proudly” endorsed by the NRA.
Lastly, LiPetri voted along party lines against providing critical funding to Long Island schools, LIRR improvements, and water infrastructure – making it clear that as the Republican nominee for New York’s Third Congressional District, he’ll turn his back on Nassau County and Queens families’ priorities and needs.
While LiPetri built up a reputation of dismissing the needs of his community, Suozzi was busy delivering for his constituents, including lowering crime to historically low levels as Nassau County Executive, protecting the Long Island Sound, securing bipartisan infrastructure investments, and fighting to lower taxes for working families.
A SHADY PERSONAL FINANCIAL STORY
The people of Queens and Nassau County are fed up with fraud, chaos, and dysfunction, yet Mike LiPetri is now the latest Republican candidate for New York’s Third Congressional District who subscribes to fraudster George Santos’s shady campaign playbook.
In fact, LiPetri was implicated in a sketchy financial scheme alongside Santos – whose campaign he seemingly contributed to himself. As reported by the New York Times, in 2021, LiPetri and Santos approached a campaign donor with a scheme for him to open an LLC for an unnamed Polish citizen to buy cryptocurrency. To make matters worse, LiPetri and Santos would only provide more details to the donor if the donor signed an NDA. When the New York Times asked LiPetri for comment on the scheme in July and December 2023, he refused to comment on his involvement.
Adding to the list of shady behavior, just like Santos, Mike LiPetri also has a knack for exaggerating the truth – including getting caught by Newsday for inflating his resume.
During the special election in New York’s Third Congressional District, voters chose responsible leadership and good governance over Santos 2.0 by electing Tom Suozzi. Families across Nassau County and Queens won’t be interested in yet another Santos reincarnate like LiPetri.
WILL CAVE TO EXTREME PARTY BOSSES IN DC
Mike LiPetri has repeatedly shown he’ll cave to extreme party bosses in Washington instead of being an independent voice for Nassau County and Queens families.
On multiple occasions, LiPetri has praised and uplifted some of the most extreme members of the Republican Party. He’s fully embraced Speaker Mike Johnson, the former chair of the Republican Study Committee – a far-right group that has proposed a budget that would make cuts to critical programs like Social Security and Medicare. The New York Times even called Johnson “the most important architect” of House Republicans’ attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. LiPetri has actively campaigned against the bipartisan immigration deal negotiated in the Senate – heralded as the toughest and most comprehensive action on border security in decades – that Trump urged Republicans to block.
LiPetri has fully embraced Donald Trump and even dismissed the rule of law and rushed to his defense after the former president was convicted on 34 felony counts. Trump returned the favor by endorsing him – giving Nassau County and Queens voters the validation that LiPetri would be a loyal lackey in carrying out Trump’s extreme agenda.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
NY1: Suozzi named co-chair of Democratic Border Security Task Force [NY1, 03/12/24]
Newsday: Rep. Tom Suozzi announces House group to press for border deal [Newdsday, 03/12/24]
Washington Post: Tom Suozzi’s House win in N.Y. gave Democrats an immigration road map [Washington Post, 02/14/24]
City & State: Tom Suozzi’s special election win gives Democrats hope for November [City & State, 02/14/24]
POLITICO: A longtime NY Democrat flipped a Republican seat. The nation took notice. [POLITICO, 02/14/24]
“Embrace calls for stronger border security. Acknowledge the advanced age of President Joe Biden. Pledge to support law enforcement and Israel.
“Democrat Tom Suozzi hit on all these points during his campaign for a bellwether House district on Long Island — successfully turning his party’s chief vulnerabilities into assets.”
Long Island Herald: Congressman Tom Suozzi honors a Sea Cliff WWII veteran who gave everything [Long Island Herald, 05/31/24]
PATH TO VICTORY
Four months ago, Tom Suozzi won the most competitive bellwether special election of the cycle by an 8 point margin – taking on the storied Nassau County Republican machine and creating a path to victory in New York in 2024, including laying out a roadmap on how to successfully navigate critical issues like border security and public safety.
This district has gotten better for Democrats post-2024 New York redistricting, shifting from a Biden +8.4% seat to a Biden +11.4% seat – adding to nonpartisan race raters’anticipation that this district will stay in Democratic hands in November. Additionally, Suozzi is also an incredibly strong fundraiser and has nearly $1.3 million cash on hand to date compared to LiPetri’s $134,000.
The once formidable Nassau County GOP failed to recruit a strong candidate, putting forth Mike LiPetri as their sacrificial lamb. LiPetri has so far failed to amass any financial backing, and it’s clear he’d be yet another Republican-manufactured embarrassment to the people of Nassau County and Queens. Meanwhile, over the course of his more than 30 years in public office, Tom Suozzi has built a trusted reputation on Long Island as a problem solver who will work with anyone to get things done. Tom Suozzi is well-positioned to continue serving communities across New York’s Third Congressional District in November.
