NY Democrat warns extremism on left, right is ‘road to ruin’
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate Democrat from New York, expressed his concerns about the growing influence of extremist factions within both the Democratic and Republican parties. Representing a district that notably supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election, Suozzi cautioned that pandering to these extremes could lead to political ruin. He emphasized the need for elected officials to prioritize the broader public’s interests over the demands of their most vocal supporters. “We have not seen much compromise these days,” he stated, highlighting a troubling trend of partisan gridlock that has stifled meaningful collaboration in Congress. Suozzi’s observations reflect a critical moment in American politics, where the extremes often overshadow moderate voices, making it increasingly difficult to achieve bipartisan solutions.
Suozzi’s own electoral journey illustrates the challenges of navigating a politically diverse landscape. His district, which includes parts of Long Island and New York City, has shown a shift toward Republican candidates in recent elections, underscoring the importance of appealing to a wide range of constituents. He noted that while many Democratic victories occurred nationwide, his district remained predominantly Republican, with Trump winning by a margin of 19,000 votes. Suozzi attributed his success to his ability to resonate with voters from both sides of the aisle, particularly on issues such as public safety and economic security. He believes that addressing the high cost of living is paramount, aligning his views with both Trump and the newly elected socialist mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, while firmly rejecting socialism as a viable solution. He called for a focus on pragmatic, capitalist solutions to economic challenges, advocating for measures like raising the federal minimum wage, which has stagnated at $7.25 since 2009.
Ultimately, Suozzi’s message is one of moderation and pragmatism in a time of increasing polarization. He urged the Democratic Party to embrace a centrist approach, prioritizing safety, reform, and national pride over extreme ideologies. “We’ve got to be capitalist, not socialist. We’ve got to be mainstream, not extreme,” he asserted, calling for a renewed commitment to finding common ground and addressing the pressing issues facing everyday Americans. As the political landscape continues to evolve, Suozzi’s insights serve as a reminder of the importance of listening to constituents and fostering collaboration across party lines to ensure a more stable and prosperous future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScfDopBlcFs
EXCLUSIVE:
A moderate House Democrat representing a district that President
Donald Trump
won in 2024 is warning fellow elected officials, both within his party and the GOP, from pandering to the extremes of their base.
“It’s a road to ruin, because too many extremists, too many elected officials, are busy pandering to their base instead of listening to the general public and instead of trying to find common ground,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital.
Suozzi said people on the far-left and far-right make up a relatively small — but active — section of both sides. He suggested that it’s a group that’s had an outsized influence in Congress as well.
“We have not seen much compromise these days. And everything has been, you know, one party or the other trying to do a my-way-or-the-highway partisan effort,” he said. “I’m sure both sides are inspired by good intention, but it’s not long-lasting, and it’s not going to help move our country forward.”
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Suozzi’s district encompasses part of the New York City suburbs of Long Island and includes part of the Big Apple itself as well.
But his district is not as progressive as other parts of New York that have shown support for socialist Mayor-elect
Zohran Mamdani
— whose candidacy Suozzi spoke out against on multiple occasions.Â
Suozzi did not answer directly when asked if Mamdani’s leadership in the city will affect him in the coming 2026 midterms, but he pointed out significant Republican gains in the district in the
2025 election cycle
where he won.
“In Queens, in my portion of the district, Mamdani lost to Cuomo by 27%. And also, a Republican city councilwoman from the City of New York won in my district, and she won big. And then in my Long Island portion of it, which is not the city, but it’s right next to the city, Mamdani was weaponized by the Republicans in their races, and they won everything,” Suozzi said.
“I was always in a vulnerable district, because Trump won by 19,000 votes and I won by 11,000 votes, and I had to get 20,000 people who voted for Donald Trump to also vote for me,” he said. “But that’s still the case for me. So while there were a lot of Democratic victories throughout the country on Election Day, in my district, it still performed pretty Republican.”
He credited his success with “listening” to voters on both sides and reflecting those views in Washington.
“The reason I was successful in 2024 is because I was endorsed by the police, is because I was clear on my position on immigration, that we do need to secure the border, because I’m fighting for affordability. I mean, I feel like I’ve got to do what the people are asking to do,” he said.
Suozzi conceded that he believed both Trump and Mamdani were correct in their focus on the high cost of living.
“Mamdani was right, much like Trump is right, that people are economically insecure. They’re worried about their financial security. They properly diagnose the problem,” he said.
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“The challenge is, you know, what’s the solution? I believe that socialism is a terrible solution. It will not work. It’s never worked in the history of the world. And it will not work now.”
But he urged Democrats nationwide to continue the focus on affordability, both trying to find solutions that are unique to their districts and on the federal level.
One example he cited was the
minimum wage
, which has been $7.25 on the federal level since July 2009.
“That’s absurd, 20 states have a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. We should be fighting to increase the minimum wage,” he said.
In the end, however, he called for a
Democratic Party
that errs away from socialism on the national level.
“We’ve got to be capitalist, not socialist. We’ve got to be mainstream, not extreme. We’ve got to be about safety, not lawlessness. We’ve got to be for reform, not the status quo,” Suozzi said. “We have to be proud of our country, not ashamed of our country.”
