Analysis: Tom Suozzi offers Democrats a Rorschach test | Columnists

This time around, Suozzi revels in his Italian-Irish roots, often points to his Italian immigrant father, and his own “common sense” brand of Democratic politics. Three hundred thousand New Yorkers leave the state each year, he says, which he blames on politicians soft on crime and eager to raise taxes.

Suozzi cares little for the bail reform laws he thinks allows criminals who should be in jail to roam the streets instead. He doesn’t like over-regulation driving businesses out of state. And though he won’t say it, he sounds a lot like Republicans running for governor.

“Yeah, but it’s a traditional Democratic message,” he says, noting he appeals to the “union guys” in bars and at church picnics the party has lost.

“People care about crime, taxes and schools,” he said, “basic bread-and-butter stuff.”

The congressman’s ads are among the bunch for various gubernatorial candidates saturating Buffalo airwaves in recent days, a sign of things to come. Those ads may struggle in some bellwether towns like Cheektowaga, where his “common sense Democrat” message might gain traction. This is Hochul turf, as is possibly most of upstate, and he knows it.

“I’ve got to be popular elsewhere,” he says, adding he thinks upstate has never fared very well anyway under the “same old, same old” Democratic leadership.