Former Democratic representative Thomas Suozzi would make a return to Capitol Hill after he won a by-election in New York state's 3rd district on Tuesday (Feb. 13) to fill the seat vacated by disgraced Republican Rep. George Santos.
Suozzi's win against GOP candidate Mazi Pilip also meant that the House GOP majority was cut down to a single seat, making legislation more difficult in the future, NBC News reported.
The Democrats could use the win as leverage to regain the House majority and subsequently deal with political vulnerability on immigration and border security.
Suozzi might seek to be sworn into Congress as early as Thursday (Feb. 15), according to a source with knowledge of his thinking. An alternative date would be by the end of the month after the House took an extended recess for President's Day.
Suozzi: 'We Won' Despite GOP's Dirty Tricks
At his victory party late Tuesday, Suozzi thanked a long list of supporters and staff and ran through some of the attacks he faced in the race.
"Despite all the lies about Tom Suozzi and the Squad, about Tom Suozzi being the godfather of the migrant crisis, about 'Sanctuary Suozzi,' despite the dirty tricks, despite the vaunted Nassau County Republican machine: We won," he told his supporters.
Suozzi's speech was initially interrupted by protesters who accused him of supporting "genocide" in Gaza, with one of them walking onstage to shout down Suozzi while holding what appeared to be a Palestinian flag, but he was removed.
Read Also : New York Candidates Clah in Special Election Debate Amid Efforts To Win George Santos's Vacated Seat
New York's 'Purple' District?
Another factor that helped in Suozzi's win was the winter storm that affected the New York City area on election day, as Democrats have built up an early advantage in early votes, as well as his name recall and past experience as a congressman.
Though President Joe Biden won the Long Island-based district by 8 percentage points, according to calculations from Daily Kos Elections, Republicans have made gains in the area since then.
This resulted in Santos winning the seat in 2022 by eight points before he was expelled from Capitol Hill following his indictment on federal charges and a damning Ethics Committee report that alleged he broke multiple federal laws and misused campaign funds.
Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges and was scheduled to face court in September.
Suozzi and Pilip could face off again in November as both of them are committed to running for a full term. But the New York state has been planning to redistrict the area where Suozzi would be serving, as the commission responsible for the redistricting of the area would have until Feb, 28 to redraw the new congressional map, and the state GOP has vowed to challenge it if the party viewed it as a partisan gerrymander.
