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Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi was snubbed by cops in his own hometown — who ditched him to endorse Republican Michael LiPetri instead.
The Glen Cove City Police Benevolent Association changed course after supporting the incumbent Democrat against LePetri in their first congressional showdown just two years ago.
Suozzi grew up in Glen Glove and served as its mayor from 1994 to 2001.
“When it mattered most and others turned their back on us and let us down, Mike LiPetri stood with Law Enforcement 100%,” Glen Cove PBA President Chris Pascucci said of the Republican
“The Glen Cove PBA is proud to endorse Mike LiPetri for Congress.”
Suozzi, a former Nassau County executive, recently landed the endorsements of the Nassau County PBA and the New York City Uniformed Firefighters Association as he seeks re-election in the Third Congressional District.
The suburban district includes Nassau’s North Shore, parts of bordering Queens, and Huntington in Suffolk County.
But the city of Glen Cove has its own police force separate from the county’s.
LiPetri reveled in the coup, pointing out that Suozzi voted for the George Floyd Act, which stripped police officers of qualified immunity. The Republican challenger said that law led to widespread demoralization among rank-and-file officers and their families.
“The one Police Department who knows Suozzi best – his hometown of Glen Cove, is supporting us because they know the truth about his record and know they can’t count on him to back the blue when it counts,” said LiPetri.
“When it comes to public safety, Tom Suozzi is in bed with ‘Horrible’ [Gov. Kathy] Hochul who has unleashed the failed bail reform policies and stood in the way of local law enforcement from helping rid our communities of criminal illegal migrants.”
Suozzi is serving his second stint in the House of Representatives after serving from 2017-2023.
The Democrat gave up his House seat to run for governor in 2022, losing in the Democratic primary to Hochul. He then won a special election in February 2024 to reclaim his old seat after scandal-scarred Republican Rep. George Santos was expelled.
Suozzi defeated LiPetri, a former state Assembly member, by only 3-percentage points in the Nov. 24. election — a result that was much closer than pundits and pollsters predicted.
The Republican Party did not invest heavily in the 2024 contest, but President Trump carried the district during the presidential race, likely helping LiPetri’s surprisingly strong showing.
A Super PAC tied to Trump and other Republican groups have poured some $10 million into the race this year to help LiPetri topple Suozzi — though the GOP funds have slowed in recent weeks.
Suozzi’s campaign had no immediate comment.
Congress members serve two-year terms at an annual salary of $174,000.