Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, has won a special election in New York for the United States House seat left vacant by Republican George Santos’ expulsion from Congress.
Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to retake a seat he had held for three terms before resigning to run unsuccessfully for governor.
The victory reduces the slim Republican majority in the House. It gives Democrats a much-needed victory in New York City’s Long Island suburbs, where the GOP has shown surprising strength in previous elections.
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On the campaign trail, Suozzi, a political centrist, leaned into some of the same issues that Republicans have used to criticize Democrats, calling for tougher US border policies and repealing New York laws that made it more difficult for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting trial.
He will likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the country, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to retake control of the United States House and reelect President Joseph Biden.
The unusual midwinter election was required after Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December, midway through his first term.
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