Mazi Melesa Pilip

Early and personal life Pilip was born in extreme poverty in a small village in rural Ethiopia that did not have electricity or running water, and is an Ethiopian Jew. She immigrated to Israel in 1991 as a refugee when she was 12 years old, along with her family, as part of Operation Solomon.

Upon turning 18 years of age, she served Israel's mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces' 35th Paratroopers Brigade (Tzanchanim) as a gunsmith. After her service in the army, Pilip studied at the University of Haifa, where she was chairwoman of the Ethiopian Student Union for two years, and earned a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy.

Political career Nassau County Legislature In November 2021, Pilip was elected to New York's Nassau County Legislature as a Republican legislator for Nassau County, Long Island's 10th district, flipping it by defeating four-term incumbent Democrat Ellen Birnbaum by seven percentage points. The district covers Manhasset, Manhasset Hills, North Hills, Searingtown, Herricks, and the nine villages on the Great Neck peninsula, and is just east of New York City. She gave birth to twin daughters weeks before the election. She became the first-ever Republican from Great Neck to be elected a Nassau County Legislator. Her priorities have included public safety, helping businesses that struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and fighting antisemitism.

In November 2023, she won a second term as Nassau County legislator representing District 10 as a Republican (endorsed by the Conservative Party) with 60% of the vote. She had been endorsed by the New York League of Conservation Voters, which cited her driving legislation transferring county land to the Great Neck Park District, approving funding for a streets initiative and water quality protection, and supporting efforts to protect the county's sole source aquifer. Conservative donor and former US Ambassador to Austria Ronald Lauder was her biggest single donor during her race. She dedicated her win to Israel. The panel chose her after considering more than twenty candidates. Her opponent in the general election was Tom Suozzi, the district's former representative in Congress. The campaign was largely fought on the issue of migration into the United States. Pilip agreed to participate in only one debate during the campaign, after early voting had started.

On February 13, 2024, Pilip received 46% of the vote to Suozzi's 54%.

Political positions

Abortion Pilip has described herself as "pro-life" while stating that "abortion is a very personal decision". She has said that she would not support a national abortion ban. However, she has refused to answer questions regarding restoring Roe v. Wade or her position on restrictions that fall short of a national ban.

Antisemitism

Pilip has spoken out extensively against antisemitism in the United States, particularly regarding antisemitism on American college campuses.

Crime

Pilip has made combatting rising crime rates and improving public safety a key focus of her platform, and cites it as a motivator for her campaign.

Gun control When an audience member at a debate asked Pilip and Tom Suozzi whether they support a ban on the type of assault weapons frequently used in mass shootings, Pilip said, "I don't see any reason why the average American or individual would have more powerful weapons than our cops," but did not answer whether she supported banning semiautomatic weapons like AR-15s. She vocally supported Israel's response to the October 7 attacks, stating that Israel had an "obligation" to protect its civilians from terrorists.

Taxes

Pilip is in favor of taxes being low, and views taxes as one of the main issues for the district.

Donald Trump Regarding the multiple indictments facing Donald Trump, Pilip has said: "Trump has to go through his process" and "No one's above the law. We have great candidates right now. Trump is one of them. We'll wait and see. Whoever the nominee is, we'll support him all the way." She added that she would not support Trump for president if he is convicted of a crime.

Ukraine

Pilip is in favor of continued U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Mexico–United States border crisis Pilip is opposed to the 2024 U.S. Senate bill to address the Mexico–United States border crisis, saying its passage would amount to "the legalization of the invasion of our country". She was endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council labor union in February 2024.

Masking Pilip opposes the wearing of face masks in public places and sponsored Nassau County's mask ban, claiming that "terrorist supporters" were "hiding behind" masks while "terrorizing the Jewish community." Pilip's proposed legislation, which was signed into law in August 2024,