EXCLUSIVE: A Republican challenging a vulnerable Democratic incumbent in one of the nation\u2019s most competitive House races is touting a key labor endorsement.\u00a0
\nMike LiPetri, a former state assembly member backed by President Donald Trump, said support from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 138 reflects growing momentum behind his campaign.\u00a0
\n\u201cI think you\u2019ll see [more unions] fall in line with us knowing that we stand with the men and women who work hard to build our country,\u201d LiPetri told Fox News Digital in an interview.
\nThe endorsement from the 1,500-member union gives LiPetri a boost as he prepares for a rematch contest against Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who won back the suburban swing seat in 2024 after representing it from 2017 to 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
HASAN PIKER CELEBRATES AMERICA BEING \u2018CLOSER THAN EVER\u2019 TO SOCIALISM AS HE BACKS NYC CANDIDATES
\nLocal 138 Business Manager John Duffy praised LiPetri\u2019s candidacy in a statement to Fox News Digital.
\n\u201cWe need leaders in Washington with guts \u2014 people who aren\u2019t afraid to roll up their sleeves to get the job done, no excuses,\u201d Duffy said. \u201cMike LiPetri is that guy and the men and women of Local 138 are with him all the way.\u201d\u00a0
\nThe support from the union comes as national Republicans, who view Suozzi as a top target, look to make gains in the district spanning parts of Long Island and Queens ahead of November\u2019s elections.\u00a0
\nTrump carried Suozzi\u2019s seat by just over four points in 2024, while LiPetri ran three points behind the incumbent lawmaker.
\nRepublicans have largely united behind LiPetri, who is seeking to fend off a challenge from attorney Gregory Hach in the June 23 GOP primary. LiPetri is part of the National Republican Congressional Committee\u2019s flagship candidate program and is viewed as a top recruit.
\n\u201cThis seat can literally decide the fate of the majority,\u201d LiPetri told Fox News Digital.\u00a0
\n\u201cThe president is all in on our race, he\u2019s given us a ringing endorsement,\u201d he added. \u201cHouse leadership is all in on this race. Local leadership is also all in on this race.\u201d
\nLiPetri also argued that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the presumptive GOP nominee against Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., would help drive Republican turnout on Long Island.<\/p>\n
\u2018FLIP FLOP\u2019: DEMOCRAT FIREFIGHTER IN TIGHT HOUSE RACE BLASTS POPULAR TRUMP POLICY HIS NATIONAL UNION SUPPORTS
\nThe GOP challenger is also seeking to draw sharp contrasts with Suozzi on immigration, transgender issues and tax policy as he looks ahead to November.\u00a0
\nSuozzi, the co-chair of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus, has branded himself as a staunch moderate. But LiPetri argued the incumbent has strayed from that image over the past year.
\nSuozzi notably joined Democrats in opposing additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during the months-long standoff over immigration spending.
\nHe initially backed a Department of Homeland Security funding bill in January but later publicly apologized for his vote, saying he \u201cfailed\u201d to view the legislation as \u201ca referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE\u201d amid backlash from the left over the Trump administration\u2019s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis. Suozzi later adopted Democratic leadership\u2019s position in pushing to pair any new funding with reforms to immigration enforcement.
\n\u201cWe have to have someone that stays strong with law enforcement,\u201d LiPetri told Fox News Digital, arguing Suozzi had \u201cbetrayed\u201d federal law enforcement officers with his votes.<\/p>\n
Suozzi also voted with Democrats against legislation barring biological males from women\u2019s sports in K-12 schools and against a bill to direct the construction of a women\u2019s history museum on the National Mall. Some Democrats vigorously objected to the proposal because it excluded transgender people, and LiPetri argued Suozzi shared that view.\u00a0
\n\u201cThey\u2019re going to have to explain to their voters why they believe this museum should not be built and why they believe that there should be transgender exhibits in it,\u201d Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., the measure\u2019s sponsor, said in May, referring to Democrats.
\nLiPetri also hammered Suozzi for his vote against Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which created new deductions for tips, overtime pay, and automobile loans.
\n\u201cNo tax on overtime was critical for union men and women,\u201d LiPetri told Fox News Digital. \u201cAnd they see who my opponent really is, someone that focuses on keeping his job rather than doing his job.\u201d
\nSuozzi opposed Republicans\u2019 budget law at the time over cuts to federal Medicaid spending and objections to extending lower tax rates for the highest earners, among other concerns.<\/p>\n
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
\nHowever, the GOP challenger still faces a steep fundraising climb against Suozzi. The New York Democrat has nearly $5.5 million in his campaign\u2019s war chest compared to LiPetri\u2019s roughly $727,000 cash on hand, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.
\nLiPetri said his campaign is among the top fundraisers for GOP challengers nationwide.\u00a0
\n\u201cWe\u2019re gonna keep pushing and raising our money to make sure our message gets out there,\u201d LiPetri told Fox News Digital. \u201cPeople are excited for what\u2019s ahead.\u201d
\nThe nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race \u201cLean Democrat.\u201d\u00a0
\nFox News Digital reached out to Suozzi\u2019s campaign before publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"