The super PAC focused on getting Democrats elected to the House will spend $5.9 million in ads and mailers in its bid to flip the New York district most recently held by ousted Republican Rep. George Santos blue, the group announced on Wednesday. 

What You Need To Know

  • The super PAC focused on getting Democrats elected to the House will spend $5.9 million in ads and mailers in its bid to flip the New York district most recently held by ousted Republican Rep. George Santos blue
  • The special election, set for Feb. 13, to replace Santos in New York’s 3rd Congressional district is taking shape
  • Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi will face New York Republicans' choice, Nassau County legislator and former Israeli paratrooper Mazi Pilip
  • Santos was expelled earlier this month and faces a criminal trial scheduled for next year 

House Majority PAC said it will put down $5.2 million in initial television and digital ads and $700,000 in mail as the special election, set for Feb. 13, to replace Santos in New York’s 3rd Congressional district begins to take shape. 

“With these initial television and digital reservations and mail program, House Majority PAC is making it clear that we will do whatever it takes to take back the House in 2024 – and NY-03 represents the opportunity to make that happen,” House Majority PAC President Mike Smith said in a press release. 

Earlier this month, New York Democrats tapped former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who previously held the congressional seat for six years, as the party’s pick for the competitive House seat. 

In his statement Smith called Suozzi “ a fighter” with a “proven record of lowering costs, strengthening police, and working across the aisle.” 

Suozzi will face Nassau County legislator and former Israeli paratrooper Mazi Pilip, who Republicans selected as their choice to replace Santos about a week after Democrats made their pick. 

“Pilip is an effective tax fighter who will prioritize public safety, economic recovery, border security and tax relief in Congress,” Republicans in Queens and Nassau County wrote in a statement. “She will bring a fresh new perspective to Washington, starkly contrasting her from the candidate for the other major political party.”

The race for the district, which includes parts of Long Island and a small section of the New York City borough of Queens, is expected to draw significant attention as both parties zero in on New York as a potential battleground for control of the House. Voters in the district chose for Democratic President Joe Biden to occupy the White House in 2020 before electing Republican Santos two years later. 

Party leaders were tasked with choosing nominees for the Feb. 13 special election, triggered when Santos’ fellow lawmakers voted to remove him from the U.S. House earlier this month after a blistering ethics report on his conduct. 

Santos faces a criminal trial scheduled for next year on charges that he stole donor’s credit card information to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges, among other things. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report