Democrats hold cash and advertising edge in special election to succeed George Santos

Democrats hold a significant cash advantage as well as the edge on the airwaves in the race to succeed disgraced former Rep. George Santos, according to new campaign filings and advertising data.

The high-stakes special election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District on the north shore of Long Island is set for February 13, and Democrats are eager to flip the seat and cut into House Republicans’ thin majority. In 2022, Santos won what had been a longtime Democratic-held seat by about 8 points, and the race to succeed the Republican could offer important clues about the political climate early in this election year.

The Democratic nominee for the special election is former Rep. Tom Suozzi, a long-term fixture in local politics who held the seat for three terms before vacating it for an unsuccessful 2022 run for governor. His Republican opponent, Mazi Pilip, is a Nassau County legislator and an Israeli immigrant who was born in Ethiopia and served in the Israel Defense Forces. Under New York’s special election rules, both nominees were selected by the county party leaders in the district.

Suozzi raised more than three times as much as Pilip, $4.5 million to $1.3 million, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission that covered the beginning of October through January 24. Suozzi also outspent Pilip, $2.4 million to $714,000, over that time span. And crucially, Suozzi held a large cash-on-hand advantage entering the race’s final weeks, with about $2.2 million banked to $629,000 for Pilip.

Prior to being tapped for the special election, Suozzi had launched a challenge to Santos in October, about a month before the congressman announced he would not seek reelection. In December, Santos became only the sixth lawmaker to be expelled from Congress, bringing to an end a scandal-plagued and tumultuous…