The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, and Carolyn Fiddler, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
Leading Off
●NY-Gov, NY-03: Rep. Tom Suozzi announced Monday that he would challenge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for the Democratic nomination in June rather than seek a fourth term in his Long Island-based 3rd Congressional District, which backed Joe Biden 55-44 in its current form. The congressman, as we'll discuss, previously sought the Empire State's top job in 2006 but lost the primary in a landslide.
Suozzi, who had briefly considered becoming a New York City deputy mayor rather than run for office, joins state Attorney General Tish James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in taking on Hochul, who became governor this summer after Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace. The only recent primary poll we've seen that's tested Suozzi was a mid-November Data for Progress survey for consultant Neal Kwatra on behalf of an unnamed donor, and it presented the new candidate with some very dispiriting news: Hochul beat James 39-24, with Williams and Suozzi at just 9% and 7%, respectively.