In a win for Democrats, Tom Suozzi, a former Nassau County executive, won a hotly-contested special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by George Santos. Suozzi represented the district from 2017-2023 before an unsuccessful primary challenge to Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022.

According to unofficial election results, Suozzi leads Republican Mazi Pilip by over 13,000 votes in the 3rd Congressional District, which includes neighborhoods in Eastern Queens and northern Nassau County. If the current lines were in place for the 2020 presidential election, the district would have voted for President Joe Biden by over eight percentage points. Despite this, its voters backed 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Lee Zeldin by about 12 percent and elected George Santos by just above eight percent (6).

Democrats have seen little success in Nassau County since 2020 — losing elections for county executive, the county legislature and both congressional districts.

Following a string of scandals, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in early December to expel Santos. The special election has drawn national and statewide attention — including Greater Binghamton Rep. Marc Molinaro, who enthusiastically backed Pilip, a county legislator and Israel Defense Forces veteran.

Suozzi’s campaign centered around his experience in office and policy platform, including reproductive freedom, repealing the state and local tax deductions (SALT) cap and support for the State of Israel. His campaign worked to tie Pilip to support for a national abortion ban and social security cuts. His slogan, “let’s fix this,” emphasized a focus on assuring voters he would restore normalcy following Santos’ controversial tenure.

Bolstered by New York state’s GOP congressional delegation, Pilip made her background as an Israeli immigrant and former IDF paratrooper front and center. Her campaign attempted to tie Suozzi to national Democrats and the border crisis, referring to him as the “godfather of the border crisis.”

Molinaro visited the district in January alongside other New York state congressional Republicans to campaign for Pilip. In a statement, Molinaro reiterated his support for Pilip just before the election.

“Her service in the [IDF] and immigrant journey forged a servant’s heart,” Molinaro wrote in an email. “Her work as a Nassau County legislator sharpened her expertise. [Pilip] will restore commonsense and public safety in New York. She is a fighter who puts Long Islanders first and will be an excellent representative for NY-03.”

Democrats outspent Republicans heavily in the run-up to the election. Suozzi pulled in $4.5 million, more than triple Pilip’s $1.3 million. Similarly, Democratic advertising spending dwarfed Republicans’, with roughly $9.9 million to $6.4 million. The DCCC, House Democrats’ campaign arm, widely outspent the GOP’s NRCC $3.9 million to $1.8 million.

The election was pivotal for both parties in a closely divided House. Republicans have an even slimmer voting majority that has decreased due to multiple resignations and Santos’ expulsion. Democrats have broken a years-long losing streak in Nassau County, overcoming Republican attacks and a focus on immigration. Suozzi’s win has given Democrats hope for their chances of winning back the House in November.

David Brennan, the treasurer of Binghamton University’s College Democrats and a senior majoring in political science, described the election results’ importance for Democrats and its implications for 2024.

“Suozzi’s win signals that the current political platform of the Republican Party is unpopular with the American people,” Brennan wrote in an email. “Pushing for restrictions on abortions, fighting culture war issues and touting that elections are inherently ‘rigged’ is proving to be a losing battle on a national level. With one more seat chipped away at the Republican’s extremely narrow majority, this 2024 election cycle couldn’t be any more important. This election can go any way, so it is imperative that all Americans, including college students, voice their opinions at the polls come November. We need to decide if we want to continue down the dysfunctional path that the GOP has paved, or if we want to fight back and push for progress in the next Congress.”