Former Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi will return to Congress after defeating Mazi Pilip in the New York special election to fill the vacated seat formerly held by Republican Rep. George Santos.

Suozzi’s victory cuts into the GOP’s already extremely-thin House majority.

“With Democratic Rep.-elect Tom Suozzi flipping former Rep. George Santos’ seat, Republicans are looking at a tight 219 to 213 majority. There are currently three vacant seats, left open by two Republicans and one Democrat. This means the new speaker can only afford to lose two votes on any measure,” CNN wrote.

“Although Republicans have one more vote than a typical majority, the three vacancies mean they can lose up to two votes and still pass bills if all lawmakers are present,” the outlet noted.

There wouldn’t have been a special election for New York’s 3rd congressional district if Republicans didn’t help oust Santos.

“Tom Suozzi wins the special election for New York’s 3rd congressional district, FLIPS SEAT blue… Republicans HELPED oust a fellow Republican so a DEM could fill the seat,” Chuck Callesto commented.

NBC News reports:

The Democrat may seek to be sworn into Congress as early as Thursday, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking. If not, he may have to wait until the end of the month after the House takes an extended recess for President’s Day.

At his victory party Tuesday night, Suozzi thanked a long list of supporters and aides and ran through some of the attacks he faced in the hard-fought contest.

“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,” he said to applause.

Suozzi’s speech was initially interrupted by protesters who accused him of supporting “genocide” in Gaza. One of them walked onstage to shout down Suozzi while holding what appeared to be a Palestinian flag, but he was removed.

Suozzi may have been helped by a winter storm that walloped the New York City area Tuesday, as Democrats built up an early advantage in early votes. But his victory also came amid some built-in advantages in name ID and fundraising as the district’s former congressman and as Democrats outspent Republicans on the airwaves.

“Republicans just don’t learn, but maybe she was still a Democrat? I have an almost 99% Endorsement Success Rate in Primaries, and a very good number in the General Elections, as well, but just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America,” Donald Trump commented.

“MAGA, WHICH IS MOST OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, STAYED HOME – AND IT ALWAYS WILL, UNLESS IT IS TREATED WITH THE RESPECT THAT IT DESERVES. I STAYED OUT OF THE RACE, ‘I WANT TO BE LOVED!’ GIVE US A REAL CANDIDATE IN THE DISTRICT FOR NOVEMBER. SUOZZI, I KNOW HIM WELL, CAN BE EASILY BEATEN!”

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According to investigative journalist Laura Loomer, Pilip is a registered Democrat.

WATCH:

Per CNN:

This race was always going to take on national significance, both because of the stakes in the House and the makeup of the electorate, which is largely similar to suburban swing districts in presidential battleground states.

But Democrats would be wise to remember that Suozzi was a unique – and uniquely talented – candidate with deep ties across Nassau County, where most of the voters reside. A former mayor, he became the first Democrat elected to the county’s top job in more than three decades when he won it in 2002. After losing his bid for a third term and some time away, he returned to become a congressman – winning the seat three times, including a defeat of Santos in 2020, before leaving for a failed gubernatorial bid in 2022.

Simply stated, Suozzi had a record, and for all the ads launched against him, voters in the district knew who he was – a moderate who courts labor and will aggressively push for the return of the state and local tax deduction, or SALT, that just about everyone on Long Island wants back after Republicans jettisoned it as part of their 2017 tax cuts.

It also remains to be seen how exactly the district-wide vote broke down. Suozzi appears to have exceeded expectations in Queens – a diverse borough of New York City and not a suburb – which could yet mean the town helped him as much as the country. (Democratic Rep. Grace Meng from the neighboring 6th congressional district, and the area’s Asian American voters, delivered above and beyond for Suozzi.)

Pilip, on the other hand, was a relative unknown going into the race and a relative unknown coming out of it. A county legislator, she made precious few public appearances, held a handful of notable events outside the district, and seemed unsure of how to position herself in relation to Trump.

 

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