Republican Mazi Pilip, who lost to Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) in the race to fill former New York Republican Rep. George Santos’s seat, voiced regret over not seeking former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Pilip, a Nassau County legislator, wrote on X on Wednesday, “Fake news that I do not support Trump. I love Trump. Great President. My mistake not seeking his endorsement.”
Pilip lost the special election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District seat to Suozzi by 7 points. Democrats took back a seat that turned red in 2022. The seat opened up after the House of Representatives voted to expel Santos in December.
On the campaign trail, Pilip said she would not support the former president if he is convicted of a crime. Trump is facing 91 felony counts across numerous criminal cases.
“Nobody is above the law,” Pilip said in January. “If he’s convicted of a crime, he cannot represent us. Unless we see that, right now, if he is the candidate, I will support him.”
After Pilip lost to Suozzi, who represented the district for six years, Trump called her a “very foolish woman” for not pursuing his endorsement.
“Republicans just don’t learn, but maybe she was still a Democrat?” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“I have an almost 99% Endorsement Success Rate in Primaries, and a very good number in the General Elections, as well, but just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America,” Trump said.
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Pilip was a registered Democrat but switched to the Republican Party, according to a post she made on Instagram this week.
The Republican’s loss to Suozzi leaves the House Republicans with a 219-213 majority in Congress during an election year in which New York races could sway control of the chamber.
