Rep. Tom Suozzi sees parallels between President Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary.
During an appearance on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, July 6, Suozzi, a Democrat, said that the state assemblyman “tapped into the same thing that Donald Trump tapped into, which is that people are concerned that the economy is not working for them.”
He added that he thinks Democrats are perceived as being focused on issues less pressing to the average voter, like reproductive rights and LGBTQ protections.
Suozzi represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses much of Nassau County. He won the seat in a special election following the expulsion of Republican George Santos from Congress in late 2023. The congressman was elected to a full term last November, defeating Republican Mike LiPetri.
Positioning himself as a centrist, Suozzi was one of only 13 Democratic members of the House of Representatives to win in districts that voted for Donald Trump.
He made waves at the time for taking stances opposed to much of his party’s establishment, saying in November that Democrats should “stop pandering to the far left.” Suozzi has advocated for increased security at the southern border and called for transgender athletes to be banned from participating in girls’ sports.
He had referenced Mamdani in the past, calling him an “inexperienced ideologue” while endorsing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral primary.
Rep. Laura Gillen, whose 4th Congressional District covers much of southern Nassau, had leveled similar criticisms at the Queens assemblyman following his primary win.
“[Mamdani’s] entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes,” she said. “He is the absolute wrong choice for New York”
Suozzi’s comments on “Face the Nation” mirror those he made in a July 2 opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.
“Mamdani’s appeal is his plain language,” he said in the piece. “Both he and Mr. Trump are tuned in to voices beyond the Beltway buzz.”
In charting a path forward for his party, Suozzi said that Democrats need to more effectively engage with voters on everyday issues.
“Everybody in America should believe that in return for working hard, you make enough money so you can live a good life,” he said. “People don’t feel that currently.”
