Special Election: Suozzi Takes Win And Democrats Flip House Seat

Looks like Democrat Tom Suozzi is about to snatch back his old House seat in Tuesday’s special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

His opponent, Republican county lawmaker Mazi Pilip, just couldn’t keep the ball for the Republicans.

That is, if we believe there was no rigging involved.

So, now the empty seat that George Santos left behind in December will now be in the hands of a Democrat.

Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congresshttps://t.co/CW3c3MONkq

— WCJB TV20 News (@WCJB20) February 14, 2024

Trump weighs in on it via Truth Social:

pic.twitter.com/4UePWSVFy7

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 14, 2024

Fox News reports:

EAST MEADOW, N.Y – Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi has won a closely watched special election for a vacant House seat once held by former Republican Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from the chamber in December.

The Associated Press projected that Suozzi would defeat Republican county lawmaker Mazi Pilip, to win back his old job.

With the GOP hanging on to a razor-thin majority in the House, national Republicans and Democrats poured big bucks into a race in suburban New York City where immigration and border security, crime, and abortion were the top issues, and where the election was seen as a bellwether ahead of the all-but-certain November White House rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

“I did call my opponent. I congratulated him,” Pilip told supporters at an election night gathering. “We are fighters. Yes, we lost. But it doesn’t mean we’re going to end here.”

Suozzi, speaking a few minutes later at his victory celebration, emphasized that “despite all the attacks and despite all the lies about Tom Suozzi and the squad, about Tom Suozzi being the godfather of the migrant crisis, about sanctuary Suozzi, despite the dirty tricks, despite the vaunted Nassau County Republican machine, we won.”

The Long Island district held for a decade by Democrats was flipped by Santos in the 2022 midterms. But Santos was kicked out of Congress less than a year into his tenure, after he was exposed for lying about his background and indicted for a slew of financial crimes.

Suozzi, who represented the district for six years before running unsuccessfully for governor, repeatedly tied Pilip to Santos, as well as to former President Donald Trump.

Suozzi, a centrist and moderate Democrat, kept his distance from Biden and his party when it came to immigration.

But the White House announced that the president called Suozzi to congratulate him on his victory. And the Biden campaign argued that “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat – voters reject them.”

With the Republican majority in the House slipping to 219-213 once Suozzi is sworn in, the pickup by the Democrats now puts the GOP’s grip on the chamber further in peril.

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“Tom Souzzi rolled out the red carpet for illegal immigrants,” claimed a recent TV ad from the Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting House Republicans.

Well, it sounds like Souzzi is a real winner.

Another Democrat that puts America last.

It’s almost like these people all belong to some sort of Anti-America club.

Here’s a snippet from his victory speech:

Suozzi during his victory speech: "Let's send a message to our friends running the Congress these days: Stop running around for Trump, and start running the country." pic.twitter.com/xUizjURKjm

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 14, 2024

ABC News adds:

Former Rep. Tom Suozzi will win back his old House seat in Tuesday’s special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, ABC News projects — extending his party’s largely winning record in such races and further whittling down Republicans’ tiny majority in the chamber.

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Suozzi dispatched with Republican nominee Mazi Pilip to earn the seat, which encompasses parts of Long Island.

Democrats in New York were dogged by concerns over crime and immigration in 2022, and the latter issue has been especially elevated in recent months with New York City receiving thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers sent north from the southern border.

Pilip campaigned by tying Suozzi to the White House’s border policies, which Suozzi rejected, saying he wanted a bipartisan deal on the issue while tightening security.

Some have suggested Pilip was put there by the uniparty to make the Democrat option the better looking choice.

Here he is exchanging words with her.

If you watch one video tonight, let it be this:

Tom Suozzi is not letting right-wing Mazi Pilip have it both ways on abortion.

Mazi Pilip knows that the voters in #NY03 disagree with her extreme positions.

That's why she won't answer about her stance on codifying Roe v. Wade. pic.twitter.com/l84UOg5C5q

— Down Ballot Allies (@DownBallotAlly) February 13, 2024

Don’t get too comfy, Suozzi.

I have a feeling big change is coming.

And if Mazi was indeed just a Democrat pawn, that will come out, too.