Suozzi takes center stage, Santos exits right
Former Republican Rep. George Santos, left, was expelled from the House and pleaded guilty Monday to federal corruption charges. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who won the special election to fill Santos’ seat, will speak Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention. Credit: James Carbone, AP / Mary Altaffer
The fates of political careers can align in strange ways. Just two days after former Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty to corruption charges, Rep. Tom Suozzi — the famous fabulist’s legitimate predecessor and successor — is due to stand before the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday and address the crowd in Chicago, a moment of political redemption.
Santos’ brief career in Congress, of course, lasted 11 months and embarrassed his Long Island GOP colleagues and much of his party with its existence. His biography and his resume were all fiction, which didn’t get proved until he surprisingly rode in on the same red wave as rookie Republican Reps. Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito. They helped lead the charge to expel him, which the House majority did.
Santos had been indicted on federal allegations of fraud, including misusing campaign funds. That sort of thing is far from unheard of in politics. But this case was unusually blatant and made you wonder why Santos seemed to think he could keep his fakery covered.
That was the perfect landscape for Suozzi to redeem his standing among Democrats. In 2022, he left his seat in Congress to oppose Gov. Kathy Hochul in a primary. He fared poorly in this second quixotic gubernatorial run; in 2006, he was defeated in a primary by Eliot Spitzer. But Suozzi kept his criticisms of his opponent specific and defensible enough to unite on another day. So being in the same pro-Kamala Harris chorus as Hochul presents no conflict.
Suozzi’s win was important to Long Island Democrats mostly because it stopped a local losing streak that has lasted for years. Suozzi’s seat became a blue outpost in a red sea. The party’s suburban losses to Republicans are an alarming issue for Democrats. Returning the former Nassau County executive to Congress is touted as a win for moderates.
Santos, meanwhile, offered an abrupt shift in public performance Monday, breaking from his defiant and snarky online presence. He spoke in words characteristic of the contrite disgraced official, and fought back tears, as he stood outside the federal courthouse in Central Islip: “It is clear to me now that I allowed ambition to cloud my judgment, leading me to make decisions that were unethical.”
Santos pleaded to charges that are expected to get him prison time. He agreed to pay $375,000 in restitution. “I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he said in court. Still in the pose of a public figure, he added: “I understand my actions have betrayed the trust of my supporters and my constituents.”
New York’s CD3 is no longer seen as up for grabs this year. There is no priority among Republicans to unseat Suozzi from his second tenure in the House. Both parties face more practical challenges this season, from the top of the ticket all the way down.
Everybody who knows Suozzi will also know how much he will value the chance to address the convention. He knows how fleeting the limelight can be. On Monday, he was en route to the Chicago convention when he returned a text message asking for a comment on the timing of his speech this week with Santos’ admission to crimes. Suozzi, tight-lipped about his coming remarks, cited an old Yiddish saying: “Man plans and God laughs.”
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
