Congressman Elect Tom Suozzi is expected to be sworn into the House of Representatives on Thursday, February 28th, after defeating Republican challenger Mazi Pilip in a special election for the 3rd Congressional District, on Tuesday, February 13th.
Democrat Suozzi picked up 91,338 votes according to unofficial results, or 53.9% of the total vote. GOP challenger Pilip earned 78,229 votes, or 46.1% of ballots cast.
The special election was held due to Congress expelling former Congressman George Santos on December 1st, 2023.
Suozzi previously held the seat in the 3rd Congressional District from 2018 to 2022, but stepped down to run for what would become an unsuccessful quest for Governor. He was defeated in a primary against now Governor Kathy Hochul.
The former Nassau County Executive threw his hat into the ring again for Congress once Santos was kicked out and a special election was called to fill the seat.
"Despite all the attacks, 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," said the victor at a victory rally in Woodbury.
The loss is a devastating blow to Republicans in Long Island and across the country. The GOP has an extremely slim majority in Congress, which will shrink to 219 to 213 seats once Suozzi is sworn in.
This means Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose two Republican voters in order to pass legislation in the House.
“We will continue to fight. We will bring common-sense government, I promise you,” concluded Pilip in her concession speech.