When Tom Suozzi won the special election for New York’s Third Congressional District in 2024,
I wrote that he had succeeded by swimming against the current. At that time, the political winds
were not necessarily blowing in favor of the Democratic Party, particularly on Long Island. Yet
Suozzi understood the pulse of the people and spoke about issues that mattered to them in their
daily lives.
Two years later, he is once again facing a difficult election, and the political environment may be
even more challenging. President Donald Trump carried this congressional district in the 2024
presidential election. Yet many of the same voters who supported Trump also voted for Tom
Suozzi for Congress. That should tell us something.
What does it mean? It simply means that the average voter is not always as ideological as party
leaders and political pundits would like us to believe. People are quite capable of voting for a
Republican for President and a Democrat for Congress if they believe those people understand
their concerns and are willing to work for them. That is precisely where Tom Suozzi appears to
have an advantage.
President Trump has already made this congressional race a priority. Vice President J.D. Vance
has also campaigned against Suozzi. The Republican Party knows that this is a district they can
win, and they are putting considerable effort into defeating him. Yet Suozzi continues to remain
competitive.
Why? The answer may be quite simple: common sense. Suozzi has refused to allow himself to
be pushed into either extreme of American politics. He has strongly opposed many of Donald
Trump's policies. Still, he has made it clear that he does not identify with the Democratic
Socialists, who are increasingly trying to influence the Democratic Party's direction.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Being a Democrat does not mean that one has to
accept every policy promoted by the far left. The Democratic Party has always been a broad
coalition of working people, minorities, immigrants, labor unions, professionals, small-business
owners, and middle-class families. Its strength has traditionally come from that diversity.
There is nothing un-Democratic about believing in capitalism, law and order, secure borders,
fiscal responsibility and love of country. In fact, these were once considered basic American
values shared by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Suozzi understands that capitalism, despite all its shortcomings, has created enormous
opportunities in this country. It has lifted millions of people into the middle class and given
immigrants arriving on these shores the opportunity to build a better future through hard work,
education and disciplined living. For people like us who came to America many decades ago,
the American Dream was not an abstract political slogan. It was real.
We came to a country where we believed that if we worked hard, obeyed the law, educated our
children and remained loyal to the country and its system of governance, we would have an
opportunity to succeed.
America was never perfect. It is not perfect today either. There have always been injustices,
inequalities and failures in the system. But the answer is not to tear down the system that has
provided opportunities to millions. The answer is to correct its faults and make it work better for
everybody.
That is where the Democratic Socialists and mainstream Democrats often part company. Many
Americans simply do not believe that socialism is the answer to the problems facing this
country. They believe government has an important role to play. It must protect the poor, provide
educational opportunities, ensure access to health care, defend civil rights and prevent powerful
interests from exploiting ordinary people.
But that is very different from rejecting capitalism itself. Suozzi seems to understand that
distinction very clearly. He also understands another political reality that some Democrats have
been reluctant to confront that is concerns over immigration and border security are real.
People who have followed the legal process to come to this country do not necessarily support
an open border. Immigrants themselves often understand better than anybody else why laws
and orderly immigration procedures are important. At the same time, secure borders should not
mean abandoning compassion or treating every immigrant as a criminal.
Why should these two positions be mutually exclusive? We can secure the border and still treat
human beings with dignity. We can remove violent criminals while finding sensible solutions for
law-abiding immigrants who have worked, paid taxes, and raised families in this country for
many years.
Once again, that is common sense. The same applies to crime. People want to feel safe in their
neighborhoods. They want to travel on the subway without fear. They want their children to walk
home safely. They do not want to hear political explanations when their basic sense of security
is threatened.
It is easy for politicians living far away from troubled neighborhoods, often with Security details,
to lecture people about ideology. It is much harder for the family actually living with the
consequences. Suozzi appears to understand that as well.
Another quality that sets him apart from many politicians today is his willingness to engage in
bipartisanship. That word itself has almost become unpopular in Washington. Politicians are
often reluctant to work with the other party for fear of criticism from their own political base.
Compromise is portrayed as weakness. Cooperation is sometimes treated as betrayal.
But how does democracy function without compromise? Our system of government was
designed around negotiation, balance and accommodation. Democrats and Republicans are not
enemies. They are political opponents operating within the same constitutional system.
Suozzi has often demonstrated that he is willing to work with Republicans when he believes it
benefits his district. That does not make him less of a Democrat. It makes him a legislator.
People in Nassau County and Queens are not sitting at home worrying about ideological purity.
They are worrying about property taxes, grocery bills, mortgages, health insurance, tuition costs
and whether their children can afford to buy a home near where they grew up.
They want results. That is where the political extremes often lose touch with ordinary people.
Both parties would be wise to understand it.
The MAGA movement has its own ideological rigidity, and Democratic Socialists have theirs.
But the vast majority of Americans probably live somewhere between those two poles. They
may be liberal on one issue and conservative on another. They may support immigration but
also want secure borders. They may support social programs but oppose wasteful government
spending. They may deeply believe in civil rights while also strongly believing in law
enforcement.
They may dislike Donald Trump but still reject socialism.
Why should that surprise anybody? That is the America most of us know. It is also the America
in which Tom Suozzi is running for reelection.
The fact that President Trump and Vice President Vance are personally campaigning against
him shows how important this race has become. They clearly believe that Republican voters in
this district can be persuaded to defeat him. Perhaps they can!
But Suozzi has already demonstrated that many voters are willing to cross party lines. He has
proven that once before. He may do it again.
The larger lesson should not be lost on the Democratic Party. Elections are not won only by
exciting the people who already agree with us. They are won by persuading people who may
disagree with us on some issues but are still willing to listen. That requires moderation. It
requires respect for people with different viewpoints. Most of all, it requires common sense.
The Democratic Party should never abandon its historic commitment to working people,
minorities, immigrants, civil rights and social justice. But neither should it allow itself to be
defined by policies that ordinary Americans consider too far removed from their everyday
concerns.
There must still be room in the party for Democrats who believe in capitalism, patriotism, strong
national defense, law and order, secure borders and fiscal responsibility.
Tom Suozzi appears determined to occupy that space. And perhaps that is why he continues to
survive politically in a district that Donald Trump himself carried. The message from this district
could not be clearer.
People are tired of the extremes. They want their government to work. They want safe
neighborhoods, affordable living, secure borders, good schools and opportunities for their
children. Above all, they still want to believe that if they work hard, play by the rules and remain
loyal to this nation and its democratic system, the American Dream is still within their reach.
Tom Suozzi seems to understand that better than many politicians today.
That may ultimately be the secret of his success.
