Gov. Kathy Hochul set the date for a critical special election to fill the Queens and Long Island congressional seat vacated by former Rep. George Santos for Feb. 13, 2024, her office announced Tuesday.
The high stakes contest sets up an early test for both parties in an election year where control of the House, Senate and White House will all be up for grabs.
“As Governor, I have the solemn responsibility to call a special election to ensure the voters of Long Island and Queens once again have representation in Congress,” Hochul said in a statement. “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.”
After Santos was expelled on Friday, the process to fill the 3rd Congressional District kicked off with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson formally notifying Hochul of the vacancy. Then, the governor had 10 days to issue a proclamation setting a special election date that was more than 70 and less than 80 days away.
The candidates running to replace Santos have not yet been announced. Democratic and Republican party leaders for Nassau and Queens counties are meeting this week to screen and select their nominees since it is a special election, as opposed to holding a primary contest as is done ahead of a general election.
Nassau County and New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs said he is working in coordination with Hochul, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Queens County Democratic party chair Greg Meeks to select the strongest candidate to flip the Republican held seat back to Democratic control.
Jacobs said he expects to make that announcement on Thursday.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that former Rep. Tom Suozzi met privately with the governor in Albany on Monday night, a move that may signal her willingness to grant Suozzi the nomination despite his fiercely fought campaign against her for the Democratic nomination for governor.
“Following the meeting in Albany, where Tom made critical assurances about fighting for abortion rights and running a winning campaign that benefits all Democrats, the governor will allow his nomination to move forward,” said Brian Lenzmeier, a Hochul campaign spokesperson in a statement.
Republicans are also still evaluating their candidates with interviews continuing into Wednesday, according to Mike Deery, a spokesman for the Nassau County GOP.
Voters who want to participate in the election must register to vote at least 10 days before the special election date. That means the deadline to register for this contest is Feb. 3, which also overlaps with the first day of early voting, which will run from Feb. 3 to Feb. 1111.
Online voter registration is available here.
For voters keeping tabs on Santos, he’s been on the website Cameo where people can pay him to create a personalized video for them. His profile describes him as, “a former congressional icon.” As of Tuesday, he charged a $350 per video rate.
While Santos cashes in on his infamy through social media, he also faces very real obstacles in the week ahead. He is scheduled to be back in court next Tuesday for a pretrial status conference on the 23 criminal counts he faces that helped prompt his expulsion. His trial is set to begin in September 2024.
Additional reporting by Jon Campbell
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