New York GOP choose former Israel Defense Forces soldier as candidate to replace George Santos

Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Now former Congressman George Santos held a press conference on the House Triangle outside of the United States Capitol on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. He has since been expelled from Congress since Friday. Dec. 1, 2023.
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WASHINGTON − New York Republicans are expected to announce Mazi Melesa Pilip as their nominee in the special election race on February 13, 2024, to fill the seat left by ousted former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., according to reports.

Politico reported that the GOP are expected to formalize their pick on Friday.

Pilip, 44, is an Ethiopian-born legislator in Nassau County, New York, who fled to Israel as a child during Operation Solomon, a 1991 Israeli military operation that brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. She also served as a paratrooper in the Israeli Defense Forces.

Although she is serving as a Republican, she is a registered Democrat, according to Politico.

“Mazi Melesa Pilip is a dynamic and impressive leader, having served as a paratrooper in the IDF and working to represent New Yorkers in the Nassau County Legislature, and she will take that fight to Washington,” said Congressional Leadership Fund President Dan Conston.

Meanwhile, New York Democrats chose former Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., to be their nominee. He beat Santos in 2020 in the race for New York’s third congressional district seat.

"Tom Suozzi has a proven record of fighting for his constituents, fighting to safeguard our suburban way of life here on Long Island and Queens and always advocating for sensible solutions to the real challenges affecting everyday average Americans," said Nassau County and New York State Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs and Queens County Democratic Chair Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., in a joint statement.

Santos was ousted last month after a scathing House Ethics Committee report that alleged Santos “blatantly stole from his own campaign,” deceived donors into making payments for his own benefit and violated federal criminal laws.

He became the sixth House lawmaker to be ousted in U.S. history.

Contributing: Ken Tran

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York GOP choose Mazi Melesa Pilip as candidate to replace George Santos