Democrat Tom Suozzi Flips Congressional Seat Vacated by George Santos

Michael LucianoFeb 13th, 2024, 10:07 pm

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Tom Suozzi defeated Mazi Pilip in the special election to replace disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in New York’s third congressional district on Tuesday night.

The race was called by the Associated Press shortly after 10 p.m. ET. As of 1: a.m., Suozzi led 53.9% to 46.1% with 93% of the votes counted.

When Suozzi is sworn in, Democrats will hold 213 seats to the Republicans’ 219. There are now three outstanding vacancies in the lower chamber.

Suozzi previously held the seat for three consecutive terms, but declined to run for reelection in 2022. Instead, he mounted an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for governor of New York. The former and now future congressman won on Tuesday night by vastly outperforming the showing by Democratic candidate Robert Zimmerman in 2022. Zimmerman won the Queens portion of the district by a mere four points, but Suozzi is besting Filip by a whopping 24 points. Suozzi also holds a six-point lead in more conservative Nassau County, which Santos won by 10 points and with it, the district.

Pilip, a registered Democrat who nonetheless won the Republican nomination, brought a unique story to the race. An Ethiopian-born Jew, Pilip immigrated to Israel at the age of 12 and served in the Israel Defense Forces. After moving to the U.S., she ran for a seat in the Nassau County Legislature and defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2021. Pilip won reelection last year.

During a debate last week, Pilip generated confusion about her stance on abortion when she said that “every woman should have the choice to make that decision” before declaring herself “pro-life.”

The congressional seat became vacant in December when the House of Representatives expelled Santos, who is under federal criminal indictment for fraud. Shortly after being elected in 2022, Santos was found to have fabricated much of his life story, which included false claims about where he attended school, where he worked, and being Jewish.