The House GOP super political action committee (PAC) launched a $2.3 million ad buy in the special election for the seat previously held by expelled Republican George Santos, according to a press release.
The Congressional Leadership Fund is dropping 30 and 15 second ads to run on cable, broadcast television, streaming and digital platforms and mail through the next two weeks leading up to the Feb. 13 election, according to the press release.
The ads target former Rep. Tom Suozzi, the Democratic nominee who previously held the seat, over his record on immigration, as it is front of mind to voters in the district.
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“The out-of-control migrant crisis has wreaked havoc on New Yorkers, and Tom Suozzi helped create this disaster and then even bragged about it,” Dan Conston, president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, said in a statement. “Voters aren’t fooled by his disingenuous change of tune. Tom Suozzi would only make this crisis worse. The clear choice is Mazi Pilip.”
Republicans tapped Nassau County legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip to be their nominee for the special election, which The Cook Political Report currently characterizes as a “Toss Up.” Pilip immigrated to the United States after serving in the Israel Defense Forces(IDF), according to her campaign website.
An Emerson College poll released Thursday found that immigration is the top concern of voters in New York’s 3rd Congressional District at 26%, with 22% saying the economy and 15% saying crime.
The ad takes aim at Suozzi’s voting record in Congress before he decided to forgo another term to run unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. The video also includes a clip of Suozzi stating that “when I was county executive of Nassau County, I kicked ICE out of Nassau County.”
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“Tom Suozzi helped create our immigration crisis. In Congress, he’ll make it worse,” the video charges.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also dropped an ad targeting the Democrat for his immigration record this week, labeled “Radical Suozzi,” marking the GOP’s first independent expenditure ad in the special election race, according to the group.
The Emerson College survey also indicated that Suozzi was leading Pilip 45% to 42% among registered voters for the race, but was ahead by 14 points when only “very likely” voters were included.
The seat has been vacant since early December when Santos was ousted over allegations of fraud, including two indictments and a damning report from the House Ethics Committee.
Suozzi’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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