Democrat Tom Suozzi will succeed disgraced former Congressman George Santos (R-N.Y.), leaving a paper-thin Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Suozzi formerly served as representative in the same 3rd District in New York from 2017 until 2023. He has twice run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination as governor of New York.
In Tuesday’s race, Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip with nearly 54 percent of the vote. The party breakdown in Congress is now 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats. There are three vacancies left by former Representatives Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) who resigned at the end of 2023, Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who resigned in January, and Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), who resigned on February 2.
Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley joined President Joe Biden in saying that the election outcome signaled voters’ rejection of Trump.
Suozzi slammed Trump, too, during his victory speech:
Let’s send a message to our friends running the Congress these days: Stop running around for Trump, and start running the country. It’s time to find common ground, and start delivering for the people of the United States of America. The people are watching. They want us to start working together, so our message is very clear. Either get on board, or get out of the way.
Pundits say that Suozzi’s campaign focused on immigration, and voter confidence in Republicans is weak. CNN journalist Dana Bash said that voters told her they flipped Democrat because “it’s clearly impossible to get a solution on the issue of immigration” with the Republican majority in the House.
