Thomas Ludwig, a retired United States Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel and Levittown native, has announced his candidacy for the Republican primary in New York’s Third Congressional District’s 2024 race.
Ludwig joins businessman and veteran Greg Hach, Kellen Curry, and retired NYPD Det. Mike Sapraicone in challenging Santos.
“When I left New York to start my military career, my purpose was to protect and defend my country after the attacks of 9/11,” Ludwig said in his campaign announcement. “Now that my military career is over, I return home to Long Island and see another kind of crisis affecting our nation: a crisis of trust and failed leadership. This crisis has led to record inflation, rampant crime, and a migrant crisis. Working families of Long Island like the one I grew up in are struggling like never before. My new purpose is to give the people of NY’s 3rd Congressional District the leadership and representation they deserve.”
Ludwig grew up in Levittown, and served a 21-year military career that saw one deployment to Iraq and three to Afghanistan.
Santos has told reporters in the past he has no intention of mounting a third party challenge for his seat should he lose the primary.
Should he win the primary, Santos may have to face former Rep. Tom Suozzi next year, as Suozzi announced his intentions to run for his old seat.
If the race is Santos and Suozzi, it would be a rematch of New York’s Third Congressional District’s 2020 race, which Suozzi handily won.
Correction: A previous version of this article indicated that Thomas Ludwig is a Lieutenant in the United States Special Forces. Ludwig is actually a Lieutenant Colonel.
