The special election to replace George Santos, who was expelled from the House of Representatives on Friday, will be held on Feb. 13, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“Members of Congress provide critical constituent services, serve as a link to federal agencies, and advocate on behalf of the constituents who sent them to Washington,” Hochul said. “I look forward working with the next representative for the 3rd Congressional District on the issues facing New Yorkers.”
No candidates for either side have been announced yet, although many speculate that former Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who defeated Santos in 2020 but declined to run for re-election in 2022, will be the candidate on the Democratic side.
Suozzi has received several endorsements to take back his old seat, including one from a bipartisan coalition of Long Island mayors.
Other potential candidates on the Democratic side include former State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck), the only person who didn’t drop out of the 2024 primary election for the seat.
Candidates whose names have been mentioned on the Republican side include State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Miineola) and Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip (R-Mineola), but nothing has been confirmed.
Since this is a special election, the seat will still be up for grabs in the 2024 election, including primary races on both sides. A recent example of this was the 2020 Senate election in Georgia, where Rev. Raphael Warnock won a special election but still had to run in the regular-scheduled 2022 race for the seat.
