WASHINGTON — Democrat Tom Suozzi was sworn in as a congressman again Wednesday, representing Long Island and Queens’ 3rd congressional district.
Suozzi brought his own local cheering section to Congress. About 100 people from Long Island were shouting his name as he called for a new era of harmony and working across the aisle.
It was the second time Suozzi took the Oath of Office to become congressman, but probably the first time he bluntly confronted members of Congress to cast aside the dysfunction and, as he said, “Wake up.”
Watch Suozzi being sworn in
Suozzi was warmly embraced by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is no doubt hoping that Suozzi is not the last New York Democrat to flip a seat from red to blue.
Suozzi’s victory in the recent special election cuts into House Republicans’ already slim majority.
Democrats now have 16 seats in New York, with Republicans holding 10. However, with the newly drawn congressional maps, Democratic officials believe the maps will yield 18 safe seats for their party, six for the Republicans and two toss-ups.
Suozzi’s message was pointed.
“While I might be the only one being sworn in today, what if we all see this as a fresh start? What if we all took this chance to break some of our bad habits? What if today we remembered why we ran for office in the first place? Let’s get back into the solutions business,” he said.
As Suozzi posed for formal pictures with House Speaker Mike Johnson, there was no mention of the bitter special election with Mazi Pillip and certainly no mention of the man he replaced, former Congressman George Santos.
But he did talk about the concerns of his constituents and all Americans.
“People are worried about the cost of living. They’re worried about the chaos at the border. They’re worried about Israel, Gaza and Ukraine. They look to Congress, and what do they see? The extremists get all the attention. We’re letting ourselves be bullied by our base. We aren’t getting anything done,” Suozzi said.
Watch: Tom Suozzi on The Point with Marcia Kramer
With the migrant crisis not only in New York but around the country, Suozzi called for both sides to put aside politics and solve the problem.
“I know compromise is hard in this town, Mr. Speaker, but bring a bipartisan compromise to the floor and I guarantee it will pass,” he said.
Suozzi will have to run again in November, but he’s gonna have a far easier time. That’s because a redistricting bill passed in Albany means Suozzi’s district will skew more Democratic, though not dramatically. He is set to lose Republican-leaning Massapequa, Huntington Station, Cold Spring Harbor and Lloyd Harbor.
Suozzi represented New York’s 3rd congressional district for three terms before surrendering his seat to run for governor in 2022.
