It was a standing-room-only crowd at an American Legion hall in Massapequa, Long Island, to see Mazi Pilip make her debut as Republicans’ choice for Congress, in the special election to replace George Santos.

She spoke for about five and a half minutes and did not take any questions from reporters after leaving the podium.

What You Need To Know

  • Mazi Pilip is the Republican candidate in the special election for the seat vacated by George Santos

  • Pilip is a Nassau County legislator who grew up in Ethiopia, emigrated to Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces

  • Democrats picked former Congressman Tom Suozzi

Pilip started her remarks recounting a life story that makes her stand out in the world of Republican politics on Long Island.

“I was born in Ethiopia in a small village. At the age of 12, [the] United States and Israel brought me and my family and another 14,000 Ethiopian Jews, in 36 hours, in the middle of civil war, to bright future, to Israel,” Pilip said.

There, she served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces.

Her she and her husband settled in Long Island and in 2021 she joined the Nassau County Legislature.

“I am the only candidate in this race who can say that I have not supported tax hikes. I fully funded our police,” she said.

Ahead of the rally, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put out a statement calling Pilip a “MAGA extremist” and tried to tie her to the disgraced George Santos, calling her completely unknown like Santos when he ran for Congress.

The DCCC also criticized Pilip for dodging a question during an interview about a national abortion ban.

“The people of Northeast Queens and Long Island deserve to know what Pilip stands for after Republicans completely tarnished voters’ trust in New York’s Third District,” DCCC spokeswoman Ellie Dougherty said.

This is a district that stretches from Whitestone, Queens through northern Long Island. It went for President Biden by eight points. But Republicans won it in the midterms amid voter disapproval of Democratic policies in New York.

Former Congressman Tom Suozzi is the Democrats’ choice to win back the seat he once held

Pilip also happens to be a registered Democrat. But there was no hint of any liberal positions.

“I will stand up to the extremes who want to destroy our way of life, defunding the police and weakening our criminal laws and eliminating the state of Israel,” she said.

To the Republican officials who introduced her, Pilip was one of them.

“She is the American dream,” former Republican Congressman Peter King, told NY1. “By the time this campaign is over, whether you’re living in Great Neck or Queens or Massapequa, you’re gonna know that you are Mazi and Mazi is you.”