A who’s who of Long Island Republicans gathered in Massapequa Friday to formally announce Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip as their pick to take on Democrat Tom Suozzi in the special House election to replace expelled ex-Rep. George Santos.
The Ethiopia-born Pilip, a former paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces, vowed to “stand up to the extremists who want to destroy our way of life, defunding the police and weakening our criminal laws and eliminating the state of Israel.”
“I’m the only candidate in this race who can say that I have not supported tax hikes,” she added during the first official event of her two-month sprint to the Feb. 13 special vote to replace Santos, who was expelled by the House Dec. 1.
“I support funding our police, and as a result, we were able to increase our police presence in our communities. I was able to bring elected officials and community leaders together to fight hate and antisemitism at colleges. I stand with our communities in support of Israel, Ukraine, and all nations that are subject of terrorism.”
Pilip, a mother of seven who has repped the Democratic stronghold of Great Neck in the Nassau legislature since last year, was joined by former GOP Congressman Peter King and current Republican House lawmakers Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota, as well as state GOP chairman Ed Cox.
“Over the last 10 months, the Long Island Four have been the Long Island Four-ish,” LaLota said in a shot at Santos. “But no more.”
King, who served on the screening panel that selected Pilip, said she would “provide this type of strong, tough leadership that is needed.
“She’s a mother. She’s a soldier. She’s a legislator. She’s a great American. She symbolizes the American dream,” he added.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman gushed: “It’s hard for me to think of her as a real person, because it’s amazing what she’s accomplished in such a short period of time.
“She is Batgirl and Wonder Woman wrapped into one.”
Also supporting Pilip were other Republicans who had been on the short list to run in the special election, including state Sen. Jack Martins, retired NYPD detective Mike Sapraicone and Afghanistan war veteran Kellen Curry.
A day earlier, Nassau and Queens Republican officials confirmed their choice of Pilip to face Suozzi, who represented the Third District for six years before resigning his seat to pursue an ill-fated run for governor last year.
Suozzi was tapped by Democrats last week after he traveled to Albany to bend the knee to Gov. Kathy Hochul, promising to fully support abortion rights and not run ads critical of the party.
Santos, 35, became the sixth-ever House member to be expelled following a scathing ethics report detailing campaign finance violations and the revelation of egregious lies about his personal and professional history