President Trump-backed Republican Michael LiPetri won a hard fought GOP primary over Rudy Giuliani-endorsed insurgent Greg Hach to take on Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi in New York’s swing Third House District covering parts of Nassau County and Queens.
It was a rare split between Trump and ex-Big Apple mayor Giuliani, a longtime pal of the president who served as his personal lawyer.
The Nassau County Republican Party and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman strongly backed LiPetri, a former state assemblyman who lost to Suozzi by only 3 percentage points in 2024, when he was the Republican nominee.
LiPetri had the support of President Trump. AP Photo/Matt Rourke
LiPetri ended up with more than 81% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, which called the race for him at around 10 p.m.
In a sign that the race was competitive, Vice President JD Vance parachuted in for a Long Island event last week where he trashed Suozzi and lauded Lipetri at what was billed as a government, not campaign, event.
Hach, 55, a successful attorney and Air Force veteran, poured $1 million of his own money into the primary campaign. He vowed to plow more of his fortune into the race if elected the Republican nominee.
Suozzi, 63, a former Nassau County executive, is slightly favored to win re-election during a mid-term general election with Republican Trump, who has sagging popularity in New York, at the helm in the White House.
LiPetri will face off against Democratic incumbent Tom Suozzi (pictured) in November. Kyle Mazza – CNP for NY Post
He quit Congress to mount a failing primary campaign for governor against fellow Democrat Kathy Hochul in 2022.
But Suozzi won back the seat in House District 3 in a special election following the expulsion of Republican Rep. George Santos, a serial liar who was convicted of corruption.
He later won re-election in a surprising nail-biter against LiPetri.