The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat is a feature of American politics, especially in the pursuit of being elected to a high office. But once you face the latter and you come to terms with loss, what’s next for your career? Out of government (for the time being), there are considerable options.
Lee Zeldin, former Congressman and Kathy Hochul’s vanquished Republican foe from November, and Tom Suozzi, another former Congressman on the Democratic side who left Washington to try running for governor, have settled on their respective options.
This past Wednesday, Zeldin announced the formation of a political action committee: Leadership Needs America PAC. Its aim is to start “engaging new Republican voters” and recruit new and diverse candidates. Despite his electoral defeat, Zeldin has become something of a tragic hero within the GOP for making a stunning effort in his gubernatorial run. The former occupant of New York’s 1st District seat, he was also briefly in the running for RNC Chair and has not ruled out future NY Senate or governor runs.
“The national 2022 midterm results were the product of political malpractice by the DC political class,” Zeldin said when announcing the committee, referencing the disappointing showing for Republicans nationwide. “Republican leaders must do more to effectively empower compelling voices, exceptionally articulate a resonating message, and actually deliver the Red Wave election America needs.”
Suozzi, meanwhile, is joining the high-power consulting firm Actum LLC as co-chair. His focus will be nurturing their global clientele.
Actum’s exceptional capabilities, global reach and unmatched talent have helped it grow into a powerful platform that gets results for clients,” Suozzi said. “I am thrilled to join this team as a Co-Chair of its Strategic Advisory Board and be part of its continued expansion.”
Having much less political capital than Zeldin, Suozzi fell to Hochul in a primary election that was largely uncompetitive for her. His seat in Congress is now also occupied by outspoken liar George Santos, who was a part of the Republican sweep of Long Island. So despite his understandable exit from the political stage, there is speculation that in 2024 he could be in the running for his former 3rd District seat.
