Suozzi win in NY special election further weakens slim House GOP majority

Suozzi represented the district for three terms but did not seek reelection in 2022, instead opting to challenge New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for the party's gubernatorial nomination.

By Ben Whedon

Published: February 13, 2024 11:01pm

Former New York Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi was projected to win a special congressional election in New York's Third District and will reclaim his old seat for the remainder of ousted Rep. George Santos's, R-N.Y., term.

The Associated Press called the race at roughly 10 p.m. Eastern time, when Suozzi held just under 59% of the vote. The Democrat triumphed over Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator and veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. The area experienced a winter storm on election day, though it remains unclear to what extent the weather conditions impacted turnout.

Suozzi represented the district for three terms but did not seek reelection in 2022, instead opting to challenge New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for the party's gubernatorial nomination. Santos won election to the seat in that cycle but was expelled last year in the wake of a damning House Ethics Committee report.

Republicans currently hold a narrow majority of 219 lawmakers in the House of Representatives. There are 212 Democrats and four vacancies at present. Suozzi's victory will render the breakdown 219-213 in favor of the GOP and marks the latest development reducing the party's margin.

Following the expulsion of Santos, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy resigned at the end of 2023. Ohio GOP Rep. Bill Johnson resigned in January while Democratic New York Rep. Brian Higgins did so earlier this month.

In the narrowly divided lower chamber, a single vote can often prove decisive and Santos's absence was sorely felt by some Republicans earlier this month, when the party's first attempt to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas failed by a single vote.

Santos, for his part, trolled his former colleagues over the matter by posting an image of the vote while tied with the caption "Miss me yet?"

Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz reshared the post at the time, saying "I've never missed Santos more. Whoever he is."

In the wake of the Tuesday election, Georgia GOP Rep. Mike Collins asked on X "[s]o who still thinks Republicans helping Democrats kick out Santos was a good idea?"

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.