A pro-Israel group closely aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is putting tens of thousands of dollars into Tom Suozzi’s race to win back his old seat in Congress.

The political action committee of Democratic Majority for Israel has spent $40,000 on Suozzi’s campaign, mostly on ads, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Suozzi is running in a February 13 special election to fill the House seat in New York’s 3rd Congressional District vacated by former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was expelled from Congress after receiving a federal indictment for fraud and money laundering.

Suozzi, a mainstay of centrist Democratic Party politics, gave up his House seat in 2021 to run for governor of New York, making enemies along the way and leaving a solidly blue seat open for Santos, who won a surprise victory.

DMFI is one of several pro-Israel groups that has spent millions to fight progressives in congressional elections in recent cycles. In November, the group ran ads attacking Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for criticizing Israel’s human rights abuses, voting against additional funding for weapons to Israel, and opposing a resolution to support Israel after the October 7 attack without mentioning Palestinians killed in the retaliation.

Suozzi is a staunch supporter of Israel and is leaning into his pro-Israel bona fides. His opponent, Republican candidate Mazi Pilip, also has pro-Israel credentials: She served in the Israel Defense Forces. On Tuesday, Suozzi bucked President Joe Biden and Democratic Party leaders when he announced his support for a House Republican bill that would give additional assistance to Israel.

“DMFI PAC is working hard to help Tom Suozzi defeat his Republican opponent. Democratic Majority for Israel’s chair hosted him on a trip to Israel in December. DMFI PAC is running an ad campaign for him and is undertaking other efforts as well,” said Rachel Rosen, chief communications officer for DMFI PAC.

As Santos’s story started to unravel and Suozzi and other Democrats tested the district’s waters, others voiced concerns about welcoming a conservative Democrat who had cozied up to Republicans and already cost the party a key House seat.

Suozzi’s........

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