Mazi Pilip, Tom Suozzi clash over abortion, border during first debate in race for George Santos’ House seat
Republican Mazi Pilip and Democrat Tom Suozzi sparred over abortion and border security Thursday during their first debate in the race to replace George Santos in Congress.
The pre-taped, town hall-style debate Thursday, hosted by News 12 Long Island, comes as new polls shows Pilip and Suozzi are essentially tied with less than a week to go before the Feb. 13 special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
Pilip declared that she is “pro-life” and will “fight for women’s rights,” leading Suozzi to question her stance on abortion in a fiery back-and-forth.
“Although I’m a mother of seven children, I think when it comes to abortion, every woman should have the choice to make that decision,” Pilip said. “I chose to be a mother of seven children. That was my choice. I’m not going to force my own belief on any woman.
“Therefore, I’m not going to support a national abortion ban. Therefore I’m not going to risk women’s rights,” she added.
“Are you saying that you’re pro-choice?” Suozzi probed.
“Are you pro-choice?” the former congressman inquired again, interrupting Pilip as she began to respond.
“It is a personal decision, a personal choice, so every woman should have that choice,” Pilip said. “I’m not gonna tell her what to do.”
“So you’re pro-choice,” Suozzi interjected.
Pilip, fuming at this point and raising her voice, fired back, “Again, this is a personal choice. Every woman will make that decision.”
“Just say you’re pro-choice,” Suozzi demanded.
“I Mazi Pilip, I am pro-life. This is me,” the Ethiopia-born Nassau County legislator declared.
“She’s being like Rick Lazio right now,” Suozzi joked, referencing the former New York congressman with a similar abortion stance.
Pilip indicated that even though she’s been endorsed by the New York State Conservative Party, which opposes abortion, “it doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with everything they’re going to tell.”
Read more of The Post’s coverage on the special election to replace George Santos:
- Mazi Pilip, Tom Suozzi stump on final day of early voting in race to replace George Santos in Congress
- Republican known for political upset predicts another shocker in Suozzi-Pilip race for George Santos’ seat
- Mazi Pilip warns voters not to buy Tom Suozzi’s moderate claims: ‘This is part of his game’
- Mazi Pilip scores police union backing ahead of tight House special election to replace George Santos
- Mazi Pilip, Tom Suozzi clash over abortion, border during first debate in race for George Santos’ House seat
The candidates also clashed on immigration and border security, and Suozzi — who has been branded by a pro-GOP super PAC as “Sanctuary Suozzi” — was forced to defend his decision to remove federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from Nassau County when he served as county executive.
“So, George Santos got elected by lying about his record. Ms. Pilip wants to get elected by lying about me,” Suozzi said of the “Sanctuary Suozzi” ads.
He argued that he told ICE agents to go home after a complaint from the Nassau County police commissioner.
“The reality is that in 2007, my police commissioner came to me and said, ‘These guys are breaking the rules.’ They had 96 warrants. They went to 90 wrong addresses and broke down people’s doors,” Suozzi claimed. “They pulled guns on Nassau County police officers.”
“He said, ‘I can’t work with these guys.’ So my police commissioner asked me to stop working with ICE. Would you deny your police commissioner?”
Suozzi noted that as a congressman in 2018, he was one of only 18 Democrats “that voted to fund ICE,” and argued that the vote was proof he holds no allegiance to the far-left “Squad” of House lawmakers.
“To suggest that I’m a member of the squad is about as believable as [Pilip] being a member of George Santos’ volleyball team,” he said in his second Santos-related zinger of the night.
Pilip countered that as a member of Congress, Suozzi “voted to open the borders” and “created the migrant crisis.”
“Let me tell you, as a county executive, you are in charge of this county. It doesn’t matter what the [police[ commissioner will tell you. In the end, you make that decision,” she continued.
“Mazi Pilip exposed Tom Suozzi for being Joe Biden’s accomplice in creating the migrant crisis and held Suozzi accountable for lying about her, especially her position on abortion,” Brian Devine, a spokesperson for Pilip said in a statement about the debate.
Meanwhile, Suozzi’s campaign slammed Pilip’s debate performance as “erratic” and “unsettling.”
“Mazi Pilip’s performance was incredibly unsettling,” Suozzi campaign adviser Kim Devlin said in a statement. “Pilip was completely uninformed, constantly repeated scripted talking points, and grew increasingly erratic over being challenged on issues.”
A Siena College poll, conducted for Newsday and released Thursday, found that 44% of likely voters support Pilip, a two-time immigrant and ex-Israeli paratrooper, while 48% back Suozzi. The poll had a 4.2 percentage point margin of error, indicating that the race is tied.
A separate Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey, also released Thursday, showed 50% of likely voters support Suozzi, while 47% back Pilip. That poll had 3.5 percentage point margin of error, again signaling a statistical dead heat.
