Will she be our woman in Congress? Mazi Melesa Pilip, an American-Israeli of Ethiopian origin who served in the paratroopers brigade in the Israel Defense Forces, will run as the representative of the Republican Party in a special election on February 13 for a New York seat in the House of Representatives. This is a particularly critical race due to the slim advantage the Republicans have in the House. If Pilip wins, she will replace George Santos, who was ousted two weeks ago.
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Pilip, 44, an Orthodox mother of seven, immigrated to Israel in Operation Solomon when she was 12. She served in the Paratroopers Brigade, and studied occupational therapy and diplomacy at Haifa and Tel Aviv universities. She was the head of the Ethiopian Student Union in Israel for two years, and has said in the past that "I was the voice of many young children who wanted equal opportunities and my main focus was education." At the university, she met her Ukrainian-American husband, who was then a medical student, and the two left for the United States.
In 2021, Pilip first ran for a position on the Nassau County Council in Long Island. She said she decided to enter politics because her son encountered antisemitism at school. Last month she was re-elected to the council.
A panel of the leaders of the Republican Party in New York chose Pilip from among 20 candidates, who underwent particularly intensive background checks to prevent a second Santos, who was removed due to fraud and lying about his biography. The Republicans believe that with the background story of a Jewish woman who escaped from Ethiopia, served in the IDF and is well established in the U.S., Pilip has the potential to become a national star, especially in the current era.
"She's an American success story," said Peter King, a former New York Republican congressman who was involved in the selection of candidates. "Some people just have superstar qualities. She enters the room, people notice her and listen to her. She knows how to run a campaign, she is someone who worked throughout her pregnancy and returned right after she had twins. She’s a proven vote-getter," according to King.
The fact that this is the district of George Santos, who lied about almost every detail of his life, will subject Pilip to special attention from the New York media, which completely failed to expose Santos' lies before the previous election. Pilip herself was one of the first Long Island Republicans to demand Santos' resignation. Since she lacks political experience, she will have to present her views on virtually every issue. Beyond support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and advocacy for a strong police force, it is unclear where she stands on key issues, including her party's leader Donald Trump.
Pilip will also have to explain the fact that she is registered as a Democrat, although this is not an unusual phenomenon in New York State, where voters of one party sometimes register with the other party so that they can vote in the primaries. The Republicans who supported Pilip twice in the elections for the Nassau County Legislature seat explained that, despite her registration, she is a Republican in her views. "The fact that she is registered as a Democrat can be an advantage because traditionally this is a Democratic-leaning district," King said.
Pilip's anonymity stands in stark contrast to her Democratic opponent, Thomas Suozzi, a former congressman and candidate for governor who is deeply connected to Long Island politics. "Mazi Pilip is a formidable candidate with a unique biography: a former IDF paratrooper and mother of seven. Mazi’s incredible life of service stands in stark contrast to career politician Tom Suozzi," said Rep. Richard Hudson from North Carolina. "With Mazi in Congress, Long Islanders will have a representative who stands up to the extreme Hochul-Suozzi agenda making New York less safe and more expensive."
"Pilip is a remarkable candidate whose strength of character and firm principles are clear to anyone who looks at her life story and her work. This stands in stark contrast to her Democratic opponent, career politician Tom Suozzi, who focuses on himself rather than the people of NY-3," the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a statement.