A panel of Republicans from Queens and Nassau counties in New York on Thursday nominated Mazi Melesa Pilip, a registered Democrat, to fill former Representative George Santos' seat in the House.
A special election will be held in February for the vacant seat in New York's 3rd congressional district, which represents part of Nassau County, Long Island, and part of Queens. Santos won the seat in the 2022 midterms but on December 1 was expelled following a House Ethics Committee inquiry found "substantial" proof that he broke federal criminal laws.
According to the committee's report, evidence showed that Santos used campaign funds for personal use, engaged in "fraudulent conduct" and filed "false or incomplete reports" to the Federal Election Commission while running for office.
Nassau County Republican Chairman Joseph G. Cairo Jr. said Pilip has been extensively vetted by local Republicans to avoid another political disaster.
"Having reviewed those records, we feel comfortable that they have done a complete background check," Cairo told the New York Times. "We know everything we need to know about Mazi."
Pilip, a 44-year-old mother of seven serving as a Nassau County legislator, is a registered Democrat but has won two local elections running as a Republican. Republicans who supported Pilip in the elections told the New York Times that they were aware of her party affiliation but called it "irrelevant."
Newsweek reached out to Pilip via phone and the Nassau County GOP and Queens County GOP via email for comment.
It's unclear where Pilip stands on most hot-button issues, like abortion, LGBTQ+ policy, and gun laws as her work as a local legislator focused on micro issues.
However, Pilip criticized President Joe Biden's foreign and domestic policies, and complained about high inflation, which she said was "destroying average Americans" in an interview with The New York Times. Pilip also took a jab at Biden's handling of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying: "His policies are a complete disaster for the American people."
Pilip has a unique background when it comes to Israel. She was born in Ethiopia and fled to Israel as a child. She served in the Israel Defense Forces as a paratrooper, and during her first run for office in Nassau County in 2021, she pledged to fight antisemitism.
"She is the American success story," Peter King, a former New York Republican congressman involved in the nomination, told the New York Times. "Some people have superstar capacity. She walks into the room, people notice her, they listen to her."
Pilip has a tough fight ahead of her. She will be up against Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who has served as Nassau County executive and once held the House seat that is now open.
Newsweek reached out to Suozzi's campaign via online form for comment.
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