Trump-backed GOP challenger Mike LiPetri wins New York labor union endorsement

INTERMEDIATE: A Republican challenging a Democratic incumbent in one of the most competitive House races in the country is touting a key labor endorsement.

Mike LiPetri, a former member of the state assembly backed by President Donald Trump, said the support from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 138 shows the momentum behind his campaign.

“I think you will see [more unions] we stand with us knowing that we stand with the men and women who are working hard to build our country,” LiPetri told Fox News Digital in an interview.

The endorsement of the 1,500-member union gives LiPetri a boost as he prepares for a rematch against Rep. Tom Suozzi, DN.Y., who won the suburban swing seat in 2024 after representing it from 2017 to 2023.

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Area 138 Business Manager John Duffy praised LiPetri’s selection in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“We need leaders in Washington who are brave — people who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves to get the job done, no excuses,” Duffy said. “Mike LiPetri is that guy and the men and women of Local 138 have him all the way.”

The union’s support comes as statewide Republicans, who consider Suozzi a front-runner, look to make gains in the district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens ahead of the November election.

Trump carried Suozzi’s seat by just over four points in 2024, while LiPetri ran three points behind the incumbent.

Republicans have rallied behind LiPetri, who wants to fend off a challenge from attorney Gregory Hach in a June 23 GOP hearing. LiPetri is part of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s flagship candidates and is considered highly recruited.

“This seat could literally decide the fate of the majority,” LiPetri told Fox News Digital.

“The president is perfect in our race, he has given us assurance,” he added. “The leadership of the House is alone in this race. The local leadership is also in this race.”

LiPetri also pointed out that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who was nominated by the GOP for presumptuously opposing Gov. Kathy Hochul, DN.Y., will help galvanize Republican voters on Long Island.

Republican challenger Mike LiPetri said the endorsement from Local 138 shows growing momentum in his campaign to unseat Rep. Tom Suozzi, DN.Y. (Mike LiPetri campaign; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

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The GOP challenger also wants to highlight major differences with Suozzi on immigration, transgender issues and tax policy as he heads into November.

Suozzi, co-chair of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus, called himself a moderate. But LiPetri said the incumbent deviated from that image a year ago.

Suozzi notably joined Democrats in opposing more funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during the months-long debate over immigration spending.

He initially supported a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security in January but later publicly apologized for his vote, saying he “failed” to view the legislation as “an interview with the illegal and corrupt behavior of ICE” amid a backlash from the left over the Trump administration’s expansion in Minneapolis. Suozzi later accepted the Democratic leadership’s position on the move to include any new funding and immigration enforcement reforms.

“We have to have someone who stays strong with law enforcement,” LiPetri told Fox News Digital, arguing that Suozzi “sold out” law enforcement officials on his votes.

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi speaks at a protest outside a Long Island Jewish temple after left-wing activists disrupted the site over his vote for a Republican-sponsored spending bill that would increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Climate Disrespect/It Matters)

Suozzi also voted with Democrats against legislation banning natural men from women’s sports in K-12 schools and against a bill to direct the construction of a women’s history museum on the National Mall. Some Democrats strongly oppose the proposal because it excludes transgender people, and LiPetri argued that Suozzi shares that view.

“They will have to explain to their constituents why they believe this museum should not be built and why they believe there should be transgender exhibits in it,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, RN.Y., the sponsor of the measure, said in May, referring to the Democrats.

LiPetri also praised Suozzi for his vote against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which created new deductions for tips, overtime pay, and auto loans.

“There was no overtime tax that mattered to men and women,” LiPetri told Fox News Digital. “And they see who is really against me, someone who is more focused on keeping his job than doing his job.”

Suozzi was opposed to Republican budget legislation at the time regarding cuts to federal Medicaid spending and opposition to extending the low tax rate for high earners, among other concerns.

President Donald Trump displays the Secure America Act signed in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2026, as members of Congress applaud. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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However, the GOP challenger still faces an uphill fundraising battle against Suozzi. The New York Democrat has about $5.5 million in his campaign war chest compared to LiPetri’s roughly $727,000 on hand, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings.

LiPetri said his campaign is one of the top GOP challenger fundraisers in the country.

“We’re going to continue to push and raise our money to make sure our message gets out,” LiPetri told Fox News Digital. “People are excited about what’s to come.”

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “Lean Democrat.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Suozzi’s campaign ahead of publication.