NEW YORK — Republicans at a Long Island rally last weekend ahead of a crucial House special election invoked President Joe Biden’s name 10 times from the stage to criticize him.

There was a prominent name not mentioned even once: Donald Trump.

Trump is all but certain to lead his party’s ticket come November. But open and vocal support for the former president is tricky terrain in the politically centrist Nassau County and Queens district up for grabs on Feb. 13.

So far in the race for New York's 3rd Congressional District, Republicans have tried to ignore the party’s flag-bearer.

Mazi Pilip, the Republican candidate in the bellwether contest to succeed disgraced former Rep. George Santos, has declined to say whether she even voted for Trump in 2020 and said only that she will back the GOP nominee this year.

The Democratic candidate, Tom Suozzi, explained of the hesitation: “He’s not very popular. Neither is Biden. And you know what? The race really is about me versus Mazi Pilip.”

In fact, in swing races around the country that Biden won, there’s no........

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