Mary Altaffer/AP
- Democrat Tom Suozzi will be returning to Congress after winning George Santos’ old seat.
- Suozzi’s victory means that House Republicans’ thin majority is now even smaller.
- He defeated Republican Mazi Pilip, a relative political newcomer.
New Yorkers have narrowed the House GOP’s razor-thin majority, handing a major special election win to Democrats in the race to replace ousted Congressman George Santos.
With an estimated 51.7% of the expected vote in, Decision Desk HQ and the Associated Press projected that former Rep. Tom Suozzi will be returning to Congress to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional district which includes parts of Queens and Long Island. He defeated Mazi Pilip, a relative political newcomer, who despite holding local office as a Republican is a registered Democrat.
Democrats outspent Republicans in an effort to flip the district that on paper should be much more favorable to them. President Joe Biden would have carried the district by roughly eight points. But Santos and Republicans rode pandemic anti-crime sentiments to a major reversal in the 2022 midterms in this and surrounding areas. Pilip and her allies honed in on illegal immigration during the campaign, seeking to tie Suozzi to the Biden administration’s immigration policies. Suozzi, who served three terms in Congress representing much of the current district, resisted having Biden stump for him in the race.