Former Rep. Pete King decries 'misleading' ad featuring him with Tom Suozzi
Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), left, and former Rep. Pete King (R-Seaford). Credit: Craig Ruttle/Howard Schnapp
WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) on Tuesday called for removal of a campaign ad promoting Democratic congressional candidate Tom Suozzi that features a clip of the two former lawmakers together, describing the commercial as “misleading.”
King, who has endorsed Republican Nassau County Legis. Mazi Melesa Pilip in the 3rd Congressional District special election, said in a statement the television ad “sends the false message … that I support his bid for Congress.”
King continued: “I am asking for the Suozzi campaign to immediately stop running these misleading ads.”
The ad is sponsored by House Majority PAC, a political group focused on electing Democrats to the U.S. House. Under federal election law, the PAC must act independently and is not allowed to coordinate with the Suozzi campaign.
The 15-second ad features a September 2019 clip of Suozzi and King appearing together for an ABC News interview when both were in office, talking about a bipartisan bill they co-sponsored that called for a ban on flavored e-cigarettes. As the clip runs, a narrator states: “Tom Suozzi brings common sense to Congress and delivers results, working with both parties to strengthen border security.”
House Majority PAC Communications Director CJ Warnke in a statement said the committee would not take down the ad. Warnke said Suozzi and King “have a long bipartisan history of working together to strengthen border security and pass immigration reform, no matter what Mazi Pilip and her Conservative Party bosses say.”
Pilip also has the Conservative Party nomination.
Pilip said the ad should be taken down, calling it “a sad attempt to create a false impression of bipartisan support.”
Suozzi’s senior campaign adviser Kim Devlin said in a statement: “We don’t expect Peter King to endorse Tom Suozzi, but Tom and Rep. King have long worked together on bipartisan priorities including the State and Local Tax deduction (SALT), cleanup of the Bethpage plume, universal background checks on gun purchases, and an immigration ‘grand compromise,’ among other things.”
Pilip campaign spokesman Brian Devine told Newsday that regardless of who is behind the ad, Suozzi still should call for its removal.
“The House Majority PAC is trying to mislead voters and ride the coattails of Congressman King’s enduring popularity,” Devine said.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
