Former Rep. Tom Suozzi launches comeback bid against George Santos

Driving the news: Suozzi, in a statement, announced he will run for his old seat in New York’s 3rd district, which covers parts of Queens and Long Island.

• “The madness in Washington, DC, and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the United States Congress, is obvious to everyone,” Suozzi said.
• Suozzi said he wants to bring “sanity and reason back to Washington.”

The context: The former mayor and county executive first won election to the seat in 2016 before opting to mount an unsuccessful bid for governor last year.

• Santos beat DNC member Robert Zimmerman in November, but later that month it emerged he had fabricated wide swaths of his resume on the campaign trail.
• Santos is under federal indictment on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying to Congress. He has pleaded not guilty.

What we’re watching: Santos’ troubles have attracted a large field of candidates seeking to take his seat, both in the Democratic and Republican primaries.

• If Santos is convicted and forced to give up his seat next year, it could prompt a special election to replace him.
• Suozzi, a moderate with a strong electoral record, could be Democrats’ dream recruit, having previously beat Santos by nearly 13 points in 2020.