Democrats say Republican running for Santos seat was ‘handpicked’ by ‘MAGA extremists’

The House Democrats’ campaign arm released an ad Tuesday labeling a Republican running for former Rep. George Santos’s (R-N.Y.) seat as “handpicked” by the “MAGA Republican movement.”

The ad from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) claims Mazi Pilip, who has been endorsed by the Republican Jewish Coalition to take Santos’s old seat, would “join MAGA Republicans to pass an agenda that would hurt Nassau County and Queens,” including actions such as cuts to Social Security.

“Mazi Pilip was intentionally handpicked by MAGA extremists because they can count on her to be a rubber stamp for their dangerous agenda,” DCCC spokesperson Ellie Dougherty said in a release on the ad.

“The people of Nassau County and Queens want a solutions-oriented representative who will always put them first, and Pilip continues to show that her loyalty is to the MAGA extremists in her Party at the expense of the communities of New York’s Third Congressional District,” Dougherty added.

According to the release, the ad is airing “on broadcast and cable in the New York City media market” beginning Tuesday. The ad is also the DCCC’s “first paid media investment” in the special election, scheduled for February, it said.

Pilip is an Ethiopian Jew who grew up in Israel and served in the Israeli military, later immigrating to the U.S. and serving in the Nassau County Legislature, according to her campaign website.

The Hill has reached out to Pilip’s campaign for comment.

The House voted Dec. 1 to expel Santos, ending his tumultuous tenure in Congress after less than one term and making him the sixth lawmaker ever to be ousted from the lower chamber.

He has continued to frequently weigh in on politics through social media, and has become a star on Cameo, where he is reportedly charging some $400 per video. He faces a litany of criminal charges in relation to alleged corruption and campaign finance fraud.