Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a U.S. House seat in New York on Feb. 13, coming out on top in a politically mixed suburban district in a victory that could lift his party’s hopes heading into a fiercely contested presidential election later this year.
Mr. Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat that was left vacant when George Santos, also a Republican, was expelled from Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Mr. Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.
Mr. Suozzi’s win will likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the nation, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to retake control of the U.S. House and reelect President Joe Biden.
Still, forecasting for November could be complicated given that turnout, already expected to be low given the abbreviated race, was potentially hampered by a storm that dumped several inches of snow on the district on election day. Both campaigns offered voters free rides to the polls as plows cleared wet slush from the roads.
In the short term, the result could be a factor in ultratight votes in the House, where Republicans hold just a 219-212 majority. In an example of how important one seat can be, House Republicans voted the night of Feb. 13 to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, punishing Mr. Biden’s administration over its border policies.
At a polling place on Long Island earlier in the day, Eliezer Sarrias said he cast a ballot for Mr. Suozzi because the former congressman appeared more able to work with the opposing party to reach agreements and end congressional gridlock.
“The constituents elect our officials to perform a certain job, and we’ve really had a very stagnant congressional year,” Mr. Sarrias said after voting at a middle school in Levittown. “Even with the migrants now, we had bipartisan deal in Congress and suddenly it evaporated, like, why? Do we really need to wait for another president to come, or aren’t the issues that are pressing to everyone important at the moment?”
On the campaign trail, Mr. Suozzi, a political centrist, leaned into some of the same issues that Republicans have used to bash Democrats, calling for tougher U.S. border policies and a rollback of New York laws that made it tougher for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting trial.
The unusual midwinter election became necessary after Mr. Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December, partway through his first term.
Mr. Santos won office in what had been a reliably Democratic district partly by falsely portraying himself as an American success story – a son of working-class immigrants who made himself into a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. But many elements of Mr. Santos’ life story were later exposed as fabrications, and he was indicted on multiple charges including allegations he stole money from Republican donors. He has pleaded not guilty.
With no time for a primary before the special election, Democrats nominated Mr. Suozzi, a political centrist well known to voters in the district.
Republican leaders turned to Ms. Pilip, a relatively unknown candidate with a unique personal backstory. Born in Ethiopia, she migrated to Israel as part of Operation Solomon, and served in Israel’s defense forces before eventually moving to the United States and winning a seat in Nassau County’s legislature in 2021.
Ms. Pilip conceded the race and said she congratulated Mr. Suozzi in a phone call the night of Feb. 13.
“Yes we lost, but it doesn’t mean we are going to end here,” Ms. Pilip told supporters at her election watch party.
Mr. Biden’s campaign manager was quick to link the victory to the upcoming presidential race: “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat – voters reject them,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
Mr. Trump responded to the result in a post on his social media site Truth Social, calling Ms. Pilip a “very foolish woman” who was “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.”
The short campaign was dominated by issues – abortion, immigration, and crime – that are expected to shape crucial suburban races nationwide in this year’s battle for control of Congress.
Despite being an international migrant once herself, Ms. Pilip hammered Mr. Suozzi over an influx of asylum-seekers into New York City, accusing Democrats and Biden of failing to secure the U.S. southern border.
In response, Mr. Suozzi spent much of the campaign talking about the need to strengthen border policy, pointing out times when he bucked his own party on the issue while in Congress. In the final stretch, Mr. Suozzi said he would support a temporary closure of the border to slow the number of arrivals, similar to comments that Mr. Biden has made.
Mr. Suozzi counterattacked Ms. Pilip on abortion, saying she couldn’t be trusted to protect abortion rights in places like New York where it remains legal.
Ms. Pilip said she is personally against abortion but wouldn’t force her beliefs on others and would oppose any attempt by Congress to impose a nationwide ban. She has also said mifepristone, an abortion medication, should be available nationally.
Both candidates expressed unwavering support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, even appearing side-by-side in an unusual joint event intended to convey solidarity.
Democrats and Republicans will get a chance to fight over the congressional seat again in November’s general election, though the battleground may look different.
That’s because the state’s congressional districts are set to be redrawn again in the next few months because of a court order. Democrats, who dominate state government, are widely expected to try to craft more favorable lines for their candidates.
New York is expected to play an outsize role in determining control of Congress this year, with competitive races in multiple contests in the suburban and exurban rings around New York City.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP reporter Philip Marcelo in Levittown contributed.