GOP picks 'Wonder Woman' Pilip to battle Suozzi for Santos seat

Nassau Republicans rolled out their candidate to fill Rep. George Santos’ vacant Congressional seat on Friday, with County Executive Bruce Blakeman calling Mazi Melesa Pilip “Batgirl and Wonder Woman wrapped in one.”

Pilip, 44, the Ethiopian-born former IDF paratrooper and mother of seven who represents Great Neck in the Nassau County legislature, will face former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, 61, in a special election in the 3rd CD on Feb. 13. Suozzi surrendered his seat in 2022 to run a failed primary campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul and was succeeded by Santos.

Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral called Pilip “a superman” who “understands what we all need.”

“What we need today is law and order and family values,” Bral said.

In prepared remarks to a partisan crowd in the American Legion Hall in Massapequa, Pilip called herself an “example of the American dream.”

She echoed Republican talking points — opposition to tax hikes and support for police, secure borders and family values — while pledging to back “Israel and other allies.”

Pilip’s husband Adalbert Pilip, whom she met in Israel, is a native of Ukraine. He was mentioned but not showcased at Friday’s event where she was flanked by their five oldest children.

“I will stand up to the extremes who want to destroy our way of life, weakening our criminal laws and eliminating the State of Israel,” she said. “I stand strong with our communities in support of Israel, Ukraine, and all nations that are subject of terrorism.

“I will represent the interests of my community and be the voice for all. I want to be the voice for our middle class families.”

Pilip took aim at Suozzi, who bills himself as a moderate.

“I am the only person in this race who has never asked to be a member of the Squad,” Pilip said, alluding to Suozzi’s 2019 defense of the anti-Israel Congressional “Squad” that includes AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), a socialist Democrat representing the neighboring 14th CD in Queens and the Bronx.

In a statement to Jewish Insider on Sunday, Suozzi justified his defense of the Squad, explaining that it followed what he described as an “un-American” call by President Trump for its members to “go back” to the countries they came from.

Nassau Republicans piled on praise for Pilip.

“Come Feb. 13, this county will continue to be solid red for a reason, because it’s about our families, our communities,” state Senator Jack Martins told Friday’s crowd. “Enough of left wing politics, enough of putting politics ahead of our families.”

Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, whose district includes the Five Towns, said he looked forward to Pilip’s joining him and Long Island’s other representatives — all Republicans — on Capitol Hill.

“Over the last 10 months, the Long Island Four has been the Long Island four-ish,” D’Esposito said, given Rep. Santos’ instability. “But that’s no more. In 60 days, you will have strong solid Republican conservatives that you can trust in Washington DC.”

Former Rep. Peter King said of Pilip, “She’s a great American. She symbolizes the American dream.”

“We’re all about family values and Mazi Pilip has our family values,” said Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “She brings the common sense Washington needs. … Mazi Pilip will represent us.”

“The road to victory for Mazi Pilip is paved with the passion of Massapequa and the Town of Oyster Bay,” he said.

“As a lifelong Levittowner, we were taught from those World War Two heroes like my dad and so many others about faith, following your faith, protecting your family and loving our country,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray. “Now more than ever, those values are under attack. We need Mozi to protect” those values “and protect the suburbs.”

“She is the one that will fight for our values, secure our borders, keep taxes down,” Blakeman said.

Pilip is “an immigrant, a woman of color, a woman who is deeply religious, a woman who is a fighter, a woman who loves America, and a woman who is the mother to these beautiful seven children,” five of whom attended Friday’s event.

“As you all know, I was born in Ethiopia, in a small village,” Pilip said, recounting her story. “At the age of 12, the United States and Israel brought me and my family and another 14,000 Ethiopian Jews, in 36 hour in the middle of civil war, to a bright future in Israel [in Operation Solomon].

“As soon as I finished school, I wanted to join the IDF to give back to the country that saved my life, and gave me the opportunity to grow. I had the opportunity to finish my degrees. And then I met my lovely husband, Adalbert Pilip, in Israel. I was able to come here and raise my beautiful seven children.”

She earned a Master’s degree from Tel Aviv University. Adalbert is a physician specializing in cardiovascular disease.

While Pilip was elected twice to a seat in the Nassau County legislature on Republican tickets, she remained a registered Democrat.

Whoever wins the Feb. 13 special election will complete Santos’ term — then run next November for a full term.

Updated with print edition copy on Dec. 19, 10:30 pm.