Over the weekend, Tom Suozzi kicked off what he hopes will be his congressional comeback. On Monday morning, the democratic nominee was on Good Day New York.

Suozzi who gave up his congressional seat to run against governor Kathy Hochul is fighting to get back in Congress. He plans to address the rising cost of living and immigration in his campaign ahead of a February special election.

Political analysts expect it to be close and costly as both parties vie to fill the seat once held by republican ex-congressman George Santos.

For their part, the Nassau Republican Committee has extensively vetted over 20 prospective candidates and says they’re in the final stage of its selection process. Potential names include Nassau Legislator Mazi Pilip, St. Senator Jack Martins, and retired New York police detective Mike Sapraicone.

“Republicans got greatly criticized for not vetting George Santos properly so now it seems like they’re being criticized for being too careful,” said political analyst Michael Dawidziak.

We reached out to Pilip who didn’t comment. Martins didn’t return our call. Mike Sapraicone spoke to us about what he calls attempts to smear his character after he was named in a now-settled lawsuit involving the NYPD and a man who was wrongly imprisoned.

Sapraicone also addressed thousands of dollars he previously donated to Suozzi, who may become his opponent.

“As a businessman I’ve given money to both sides for years,” he said. “It’s nothing new, and it’s been brought out before.”

Political analysts suggest, unlike the republicans, everything that could be known about Suozzi is already out because of his past in politics.

The GOPs insist the process is going smoothly and according to plan and will announce the candidate in the coming days.