Democratic former Rep. Tom Suozzi will win a high-stakes special election in New York to succeed disgraced Republican George Santos, CNN projects, a result that will further shrink the House GOP’s narrow majority and provide President Joe Biden and his allies a morale boost as the general election campaign kicks into gear.
While Suozzi’s win over Republican Mazi Pilip, who conceded the race less than 90 minutes after polls closed, won’t affect control of the House, the result nevertheless has major implications for the GOP, whose margin for error in the House will shrink further when Suozzi takes office, leaving them with only two votes to spare on any partisan measure – most notably a coming clash over government spending.
The special election for the Long Island- and Queens-based 3rd Congressional District could also serve as a bellwether for other suburban races this fall. Republicans flipped several House seats across the New York City suburbs in 2022, including the 3rd District, and the state is once again poised to be a focal point in the battle for control of Congress.
The central issues in the special election — including immigration, abortion rights, the Israel-Hamas war and the candidates’ postures toward both Biden and former President Donald Trump — could also define this year’s general election. Suozzi’s tactic of aggressively engaging with GOP attacks, in particular the city’s migrant crisis and anxieties over it in Long Island, could also provide a playbook for Biden and other Democrats banking on victories among similar electorates in the fall.
Suozzi didn’t shy away from the national stakes in his speech to supporters Tuesday night, referencing Trump’s successful effort to torpedo a bipartisan border bill on Capitol Hill.
“Let’s send a message to our…
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