GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The special election for the vacant House seat once held by former Republican Rep. George Santos, who was ousted from the House in December, has been closely watched, with votes in New York’s 3rd Congressional District closed. finished.
As Republicans continue to hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives, Republicans and Democrats across the country are spending big on campaigns in the New York City suburbs, where immigration, border security, crime and abortion are top issues and where elections are held. I’m putting in a lot of money. He is seen as a bellwether ahead of what is almost certain to be a rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump for the White House in November.
The Long Island district, held by Democrats for a decade, was flipped by Santos in the 2022 midterm elections. However, less than a year after he took office, Mr. Santos was expelled from Congress after it was revealed that he had lied about his background and he was charged with numerous financial crimes.
Former three-term Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who is running to reclaim his old seat, has repeatedly tied Republican candidate Maj Pilip against Santos and former President Donald Trump.
Snowstorm hits election day as candidates in key special House election decide
Former Congressman Tom Suozzi speaks at a campaign kickoff event on Sunday, February 11, 2024, in Plainview, New York.The battle to replace disgraced former Congressman George Santos is at stake in New York’s No. 3 Democratic House candidate Suozzi and Republican Maji Pilip are competing in the district. . (AP Photo/Mary Altafer)
“No one knows what she really stands for. She’s George Santos 2.0. It’s just the same opaque, fake idiots trying to get votes without saying what they really think.” Suozzi charged on the eve of the election.
Suozzi, a former mayor and county executive, also claimed that Pilip, who is in his second term as a county councilman, is a “far-right extremist” who is “completely aligned with Mike Johnson and Donald Trump.” did.
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Pilip, an Ethiopian Jew who fled to Israel to escape persecution at the age of 12 and later served in the Israeli army before immigrating to the United States, linked Suozzi to President Biden and blamed him for the immigration crisis. blamed him.
“You know, he’s the one who opened the southern border. He voted for Biden 100% of the time. He supported the men 90% of the time and he’s the one who created the immigration crisis,” Phillippe said on Fox. insisted. Sunday news interview.
Republican Congressional candidate Maj Pilip holds a campaign event at Franklin Square in New York on the eve of the special US House of Representatives election on February 12, 2024 in NY-03. (FOX News – Deirdre Heavey)
Suozzi, a centrist and moderate Democrat, has distanced himself from Biden and his party on immigration.
Republicans currently hold a fragile 219-212 majority in the House, with four open seats, putting their control of the chamber even more at risk if Democrats take control of the chamber.
The contest could also provide clues about how key issues such as immigration and abortion will influence the November election.
“Tom Susie rolled out the red carpet for illegal immigrants,” claims a recent television ad from the Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting House Republicans.
And a commercial from House Majority PAC, the top super PAC supporting House Democrats, accuses Maji Pilip of running on an anti-abortion platform.
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Pilip, a former Democratic Party member who claims the party “left me and many others,” has campaigned heavily on crime and immigration issues, as well as on the far left’s criticism of Israel. It is also spotlighting Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel in a bid to win support from disaffected voters. Support for the Jewish State and the Palestinians.
But her support for Trump, who admits she voted for him in 2020, could hurt some moderate voters who aren’t fans of the former president.
Suozzi, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022 rather than seek re-election to the House, has touted his support for Israel and his visit to the country last year.
Republican Congressional candidate Maji Pilip speaks with reporters outside a polling place in Massapequa, New York, during a special legislative election in NY-03 during a snowstorm on February 13, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Mr. Suozzi, a campaign veteran, welcomes interactions with reporters, but Mr. Pilip’s public appearances are carefully controlled.
The district includes part of the outer borough of Queens, New York City, and is located in adjacent Nassau County. And this is the kind of suburban district that Democrats need to dominate in the 2024 elections as they seek to regain the House majority they lost in the 2022 midterm elections.
But while Democrats have performed well in suburban districts in recent cycles, Republicans have a history of topping New York’s Long Island. Biden won the 2020 presidential election by an eight-point margin in his current district, but Santos won the open House seat by the same margin in the 2022 election.
Former Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi (center, waving) greets voters outside a polling place during the New York State 03 Special Congressional Election on February 13, 2024 in Glen Cove, New York. (Fox News – Deirdre Heavy)
The final polls of the special election suggested Susie maintained a slim single-digit lead over Pilip.
Voter turnout is believed to hold the key to the outcome of this election. Democrats appear to have a slight advantage in the nine-day early voting period that ended Sunday.
Then, as voting began Tuesday morning, a winter snowstorm hit the district. The dangerous weather cleared by early afternoon but could affect turnout on Election Day.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
