Tom Suozzi Bio
Thomas Richard Suozzi (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician, attorney, and former certified public accountant. A member of the Democratic Party, he serves as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 3rd congressional district, a seat he has held since 2024 after previously representing the district from 2017 to 2023. Suozzi is known for his work on tax policy, bipartisan cooperation, and his long record of public service on Long Island.
Before his time in Congress, Suozzi was the county executive of Nassau County from 2002 to 2009, where he led a major fiscal turnaround, and he served four terms as mayor of his hometown of Glen Cove, New York. He has also run twice for governor of New York, in 2006 and 2022, and has built a reputation as a moderate Democrat focused on fiscal responsibility and cross-party deal-making.
Early Life and Background
Tom Suozzi was born on August 31, 1962, in Glen Cove, New York, the youngest of five siblings. He grew up in a politically active family with deep roots in his community. His father, Joseph A. Suozzi, was an attorney who served as Glen Cove’s mayor from 1956 to 1960, and the family name is closely tied to the city’s civic history. Joseph was originally from Ruvo del Monte, Italy, and immigrated to the United States as a child, while Suozzi’s mother, Marguerite (née Holmes), was of Irish and English descent and worked as an operating room nurse at Glen Cove Hospital.
Suozzi attended Chaminade High School, graduating in 1980, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Boston College in 1984. After working as a certified public accountant for two years, he chose to pursue a legal career, earning a Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1989. His combined training in accounting and law helped shape his later focus on fiscal policy and government finance.
Path to US Politics
Suozzi began his professional career as an accountant at Arthur Andersen before entering law school. After clerking for U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Collier Platt Jr. in the Eastern District of New York, he worked as a commercial litigator at the firm Shearman & Sterling until 1993. That same year, he was elected mayor of Glen Cove, launching a long career in public office that would span three decades.
As mayor of Glen Cove, Suozzi focused on environmental cleanup, brownfield redevelopment, and economic revitalization. He served four terms and was succeeded in local politics by relatives, including his cousin Ralph Suozzi, who became mayor in 2006. In 2001, Suozzi won election as Nassau County executive, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in three decades, and used the position to build a statewide profile on fiscal and tax issues.
Tom Suozzi Career
Early Career (1993–2001)
Suozzi’s first major role in public office came in 1993, when he was elected mayor of Glen Cove at the age of 31. He served four terms over the next eight years, earning attention for his work on environmental remediation, including the closure of the Glen Cove incinerator in 1994 and the redevelopment of the Li Tungsten Refinery superfund site in 1998. These early accomplishments established his reputation as a hands-on local executive.
During this period, Suozzi also built his legal and financial credentials. He transitioned from private practice at Shearman & Sterling into a career that blended law, accounting, and public administration. By the time he ran for Nassau County executive in 2001, he had nearly a decade of executive experience at the municipal level, which he would later call on to lead the county through a major fiscal crisis.
Nassau County Executive Era (2002–2009)
In 2001, Suozzi was elected Nassau County executive, becoming the first Democrat elected to the position in 30 years in a traditionally Republican county. He took office amid a fiscal emergency, with the county facing a $300 million annual deficit, billions in debt, and a credit rating just one level above junk status. Over the next several years, he cut spending, reduced borrowing, and oversaw 11 county bond upgrades in two years, eventually eliminating deficits and building surpluses.
Governing Magazine named him one of its Public Officials of the Year in 2005, citing his role in the county’s financial turnaround. He also won praise for social services programs, including a “no wrong door” initiative that centralized access to services for residents. Suozzi narrowly lost his 2009 reelection bid to Republican Ed Mangano and later lost a 2013 rematch by a wider margin, but his time as county executive cemented his reputation as a fiscal reformer.
U.S. House Breakthrough (2017–2023)
After working in the private sector as an attorney and consultant for firms including Harris Beach, Cablevision, and Lazard, Suozzi won a competitive five-way Democratic primary in June 2016 to capture the nomination for New York’s 3rd congressional district. He went on to defeat Republican state senator Jack Martins 53% to 47% in the general election, beginning his first stint in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2017.
Suozzi was reelected in 2018 and 2020, winning each race with comfortable margins. In Congress, he focused heavily on tax policy and authored legislation to restore the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which had been capped at $10,000 in 2017. He led efforts within the New York congressional delegation to eliminate the cap, though that initiative did not succeed during his first tenure. In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center filed an ethics complaint alleging he failed to report nearly 300 stock transactions, but the House Ethics Committee dismissed the case in July 2022, ruling the violations were not “knowing or willful.”
Current Congressional Era (2024–Present)
After leaving Congress to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor of New York in 2022, Suozzi returned to politics in late 2023. Following the expulsion of Representative George Santos, he entered the special election for New York’s 3rd congressional district and was selected as the Democratic nominee in December 2023. On February 13, 2024, he defeated Republican nominee Mazi Melesa Pilip 54% to 46%, reclaiming the seat for Democrats.
Suozzi was then reelected in November 2024, defeating Republican Mike LiPetri in the general election. Back in Congress, he voted in favor of military aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in 2024. In January 2025, he was elected Democratic co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and was one of 46 House Democrats to join Republicans in passing the Laken Riley Act. He also voted to censure Democratic congressman Al Green in March 2025, drawing attention for his willingness to break with parts of his party. Suozzi has continued to advocate for bipartisan cooperation and compromise, including a January 2025 op-ed in The New York Times calling on Democrats to work with the incoming Trump administration.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of Suozzi’s most notable career moments was his February 2024 special election victory, which flipped a competitive seat back to Democratic control months after the expulsion of George Santos. His success in the race was widely viewed as an early test of Democratic strategy in suburban districts. He has also run for governor of New York twice, in 2006 against Eliot Spitzer and in 2022 against Kathy Hochul, gaining statewide name recognition through both campaigns.
Tom Suozzi Career Wins
Throughout his career, Tom Suozzi has built a record of electoral success at the local, county, and federal levels. He won four terms as mayor of Glen Cove, one term as Nassau County executive, and has won multiple terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has also been a consistent voice for fiscal reform and bipartisan governance in New York politics.
Congressional Highlights
Suozzi first won New York’s 3rd congressional district in 2016 with 53% of the vote, then won reelection in 2018 with 59% and in 2020 with 56%. After a brief departure from Congress, he returned by winning the 2024 special election with 54% of the vote against Mazi Melesa Pilip, and then secured another full term in November 2024 by defeating Republican Mike LiPetri. His 2024 special election win is widely regarded as one of the most significant Democratic victories of that cycle.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond his congressional victories, Suozzi was elected mayor of Glen Cove four times beginning in 1993, and was elected Nassau County executive in 2001. He was named one of Governing Magazine’s Public Officials of the Year in 2005 for his role in stabilizing Nassau County’s finances. He has also held leadership roles in bipartisan caucuses, including serving as Democratic co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus beginning in January 2025.
Tom Suozzi Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Tom Suozzi comes from a family with deep roots in Glen Cove, New York, and in American public service. His father, Joseph A. Suozzi, was an attorney and served as mayor of Glen Cove from 1956 to 1960, and the Suozzi family has produced several mayors of the city, including Suozzi’s uncle Vincent (1984 to 1987) and his cousin Ralph (2006 to 2013). Joseph was originally from Ruvo del Monte, Italy, and immigrated to the United States as a child, while Suozzi’s mother, Marguerite (née Holmes), was of Irish and English descent and worked as an operating room nurse at Glen Cove Hospital.
Personal Life
Suozzi married Helene Wrotniak in 1993, and the couple has three children. They live in Glen Cove, New York, the city where Suozzi was born and where he first entered politics. His son Joe Suozzi is a minor league baseball player who has played in the New York Mets organization. Suozzi is Catholic and has been open about how his faith and family shape his approach to public service.