Republicans have tapped Mazi Melesa Pilip, an Israeli military veteran, to potentially succeed Rep. George Santos (R-NY) after he was ousted from the House of Representatives.
National Review columnist John Fund wrote an op-ed in the New York Post calling Pilip a “dream candidate” for the GOP.
Santos was charged of being a fraud and lying about countless things before being kicked out of the House of Representatives. As Fund points out, most Republicans weren't sad to see him go when he was ousted for ethics violations. But that created the problem of who they could choose to fill their place and not give their seat to the Democrats. Philip seems to be the answer to their prayers.
“But the mood among local Republicans is likely to change now that they have found what appears to be a dream candidate for the Feb. 13 special election to succeed Santos,” Fund wrote of the selection of IDF veteran.
(Video Credit: Fox News)
The 44-year-old Ethiopian candidate is a two-term member of the Nassau County Legislature. His life story in itself is worthy of a movie.
“He was born in a poor village in Ethiopia where no house had running water,” Fund noted. “She went to Israel at age 12 as a refugee in a program that rescued 14,000 black Jews living under an oppressive dictatorship. At age 18, she signed up as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces.”
“After completing his service, he earned a master's degree in diplomacy and security at Tel Aviv University. While there she married a fellow Jewish student whose family had immigrated to Israel from the Ukraine and in 2005 came with him to the United States, where she completed her medical studies to become a cardiologist.” , he wrote.
This background alone should make Philip a star in political circles and he continued to deepen his conservative pedigree.
MAJOR APPROVAL ALERT
Mazi Melesa Pilip stands out as a truly exceptional candidate and will make the working families of New York's 3rd District proud. Mazi is a shining example of the American dream, and his extraordinary story reflects that. As a paratrooper,… pic.twitter.com/FN7JzjzMrt
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 14, 2023
When he arrived in the United States, he decided to enter American politics and proceeded to run for the Nassau County Legislature. Two years ago he beat a four-term Democratic incumbent by 7 points.
Not only did she win the election, but she gave birth to twin daughters just before the celebration. Pilip is the mother of seven children.
In November, she was elected to a second term with 60% of the vote in New York, no less.
“She is truly the American success story, the American dream,” said Pete King, who has served as Nassau County's congressman for 28 years.
Mazi Melesa Pilip (R) on Fox previously:
“George Santos is a disgrace. He really did bad things and now he's out. He's the past and I'm the future. I'm everyone's voice. For me, it's not about Republicans or Democrats, it's about being a good voice for the American people.” pic.twitter.com/LiK9gwQz2s
— Anthony Adragna (@AnthonyAdragna) December 15, 2023
Pilip is running against Democrat Tom Suozzi for the Santos seat.
“Tom Suozzi, who represented the district in the House for six years through 2022, is the Democratic candidate in the special and has much stronger name recognition,” Fund said before pointing out that there are issues with its electoral history.
“He was ousted as Nassau County Executive in 2009 as part of a tax revolt. He left Congress in 2022 to challenge Gov. Hochul in the Democratic primary. But his moderate platform bombed with the Democratic base, and he only won 13% of the votes”, he said.
Despite Hochul's endorsement de Suozzi, many Democrats seem unloved.
He claims to be a moderate, but has previously indicated that he wants to be part of the radical Democratic “Squad” according to Fox News. Still, he's running in a district that could go either way this time.
I am grateful for the support and endorsement of @IATSE Local One pic.twitter.com/2f7vg1WUDI
— Tom Suozzi (@Tom_Suozzi) December 12, 2023
“At first glance, Suozzi starts with a partisan advantage. The district went for Joe Biden by nearly 9 points in 2020,” Fund said. “But Republicans have done well since then on taxes and crime, with 2022 gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin winning handily and Republicans sweeping the county executive, district attorney and comptroller's offices this year in Nassau.”
In the seat Pilip now holds, he represents one-tenth of the district's voters according to Fund.
There's no doubt he's a credible threat to Democrats salivating over the seat. The News from New York he attacked her for her lack of experience on the national stage, which some would say is an advantage, not a disadvantage these days.
She is also being smeared on social media where leftists claim she is a registered Democrat despite having previously been elected as a Republican. wikipedia she says she's been a registered Democrat since 2012 and ran for the Nassau County Legislature on the Republican ballot. Your entry to the dubious site is being considered for removal.
What they fail to highlight is that, as a local official, he has also worked with law enforcement to reduce crime. She has it too fought against the high density of Hochul housing plan for Long Island neighborhoods.
After the attacks by Hamas against Israel on October 7, Pilip has been a strong advocate for the families affected by the atrocities committed by the terrorists. She says it “affected her personally” according to the Time of Israel.
The Libs will have an aneurysm when they see Mazi Melesa Pilip https://t.co/7Lqk1XRr7j pic.twitter.com/GDoRqY77di
— Summer Eye (@HellsBitchen_) December 14, 2023
“And we have to send a message to the world. Hamas is a terrorist organization and Israel has an obligation to defend its people,” he stated unequivocally.
Santos' successor will be chosen in two months.
“The Cook Political Report calls it a toss-up race, but notes that Pilip is 'a rising star whose personal story would be tailor-made for national coverage,'” Fund reported.
“Should Pilip win, he would have to campaign almost immediately for re-election and in a district that, due to a new state court decision, could be imposed by the supermajority Democratic legislature to eliminate areas of Republican leaning,” he wrote.
Fund is clearly impressed with Pilip and so are many other conservatives.
“But Pilip has already shown that he can overcome all the obstacles that life has thrown at him. If he wins, he's more likely to remain a spokesman for diversity in the GOP than to see his career interrupted by computer gnomes,” he concluded.
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