Democrat Suozzi Wins US House Special Election in NY
Democrat Tom Suozzi on Tuesday defeated Republican Mazi Pilip in a US House special election in New York, earning the right to replace Republican Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from Congress earlier this year....
Facts
- Democrat Tom Suozzi on Tuesday defeated Republican Mazi Pilip in a US House special election in New York, earning the right to replace Republican Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from Congress earlier this year.1
- Suozzi, who served in the House for three terms before stepping down to unsuccessfully run for governor in 2022, was declared victorious with about 58% of the vote by 10 p.m. Tuesday.2
- By flipping the seat in a district where Pres. Joe Biden defeated former Pres. Donald Trump in 2020 before Republicans prevailed in the 2022 midterms, Democrats have cut Republicans' narrow majority in the House to 219-213.3
- Suozzi sold himself as a middle-leaning Democrat who seeks better cooperation between the two parties. In his victory speech, he celebrated prevailing against 'lies' from Republicans, who he said blamed him for the migrant crisis, which was a major issue in the campaign.4
- This seat will be on the ballot again in November, but the district may have a different composition because of a court order to redraw the state's congressional districts.5
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Roll Call, 3Reuters, 4POLITICO and 5CBS.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. This enormous victory should resonate beyond New York and send the message that Americans agree Biden is a strong president and the US is better off today than it was before Biden took office. Democrats are the party of progress, while Republicans are still looking to the past for Trump and his failed policies. This bodes well for Democrats in 2024.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. Instead of celebrating, Democrats should be worrying over their disappointing margin of victory. Running a three-time representative against someone with zero name recognition who made several mistakes on the campaign trail should've led to a blowout win. Instead, the numbers make it look like Republicans will be able to take back this seat in just a few months.
