Moderate NY Republican ‘not concerned’ about keeping seat after Suozzi victory

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Wednesday he was not concerned about his reelection prospects after former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) flipped a Republican-held seat Tuesday in a special election to replace expelled former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.).

Santos and Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th congressional district, were part of a 2022 wave of Republican candidates who defeated Democrats in congressional districts that favored President Biden and that were represented by Democrats in Congress.

Lawler said in an interview on CNN’s “The Source” with Kaitlan Collins, however, he did not think Suozzi’s victory had any broader implications on his race in November.

“Tom Suozzi ran a good campaign. He ran to the right, and he’s somebody who has presented himself as a centrist over the course of his 30 years,” Lawler said.

“So I’m not concerned about how this plays out in districts like mine,” he added, noting “any number of polls shows me doing very well, and my favorability is 29 points higher in my district than the generic Republican.”

Lawler underscored the distinct nature of the race for Santos’s seat — Suozzi represented the district before he decided not to run for reelection, instead opting to launch a failed primary challenge against Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Lawler also stressed Suozzi ran on immigration, an issue traditionally seen as stronger for Republicans.

“Special elections are just that: Special. Tom Suozzi is someone who has been in office for 30 years. He first got elected in 1993 as the mayor of Glen Cove. He has represented most of this congressional district during the entirety of that time, including six years as a member of Congress,” Lawler said.

“Democrats spent nearly $25 million in support of Tom Suozzi for this special election. And Tom Suozzi ran away from Joe Biden and moved to the right on immigration and the border,” he added.

While Suozzi talked about immigration on the campaign trial, Biden’s name remained largely absent from his messaging. Instead, Suozzi presented himself as a moderate legislator committed to compromise and passing legislation that addresses voter concerns.

In the final couple weeks of the campaign, Suozzi zeroed in on his attack on congressional Republicans, accusing them of tanking the bipartisan border proposal to score political points.