What New Yorkās special election can tell us about November
Image: Indiana Daily Student
This week, former New York congressman Tom Suozzi (D) won a special election to replace the House seat vacated by the expulsion of former Rep. George Santos (R), flipping the seat from Republican to Democratic control.
Why it matters: The race between Suozzi (53.9%) and his GOP opponent Mazi Melesa Pilip (46.1%) was seen as a bellwether heading into Novemberās general election. New Yorkās 3rd Congressional District is one of five in the state that voted for Biden in 2020 and also elected a Republican representative in 2022 (both by a margin of 8%).
Zoom in: Immigration, in particular, emerged as a key election issue between Suozzi and Pilip, with the topic receiving national attention in recent weeks as a potential deal was being negotiated in Congress.
- Suozzi declared his support for stricter US immigration laws, and spoke out publicly in favor of the bipartisan immigration deal that Senate negotiators reached earlier this month.
- Pilip also supported harsher immigration laws and criticized how NYC Democrats have handled the ~180,000 migrants entering the city since 2022, but she called the Senate immigration bill an āabsolute nonstarterā that doesnāt go far enough.
The two candidates also focused on abortion throughout the campaign, with Suozzi tying Pilip to some of the more extreme Republican positions against abortion rights. Pilip said sheās personally anti-abortion, but wouldnāt vote for a national ban in Congress.
š Looking aheadā¦ Suozziās victory means Republicansā narrow House majority will become even narrower, at 219-213. More broadly, analysts say Suozziās campaign strategy of embracing stricter border policies and advocating for abortion access will serve as a blueprint for President Biden and many Democratic congressional candidates ahead of the November election.
š Flash poll: In your opinion, whatās the number one policy issue heading into the November elections?
See a 360Ā° view of what media pundits are saying ā
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that New Yorkās special election shows the GOPās short-sighted decision to tank the bipartisan Senate immigration deal is already paying dividends for Democrats, and will likely continue to do so in November.
- Others contend that the election result in New York is a promising sign for Biden and Democratic lawmakers heading into November, and should encourage them to follow in Souzziās footsteps and push for stricter border controls.
- āThe GOPās border deal rejection is already helping Democrats winā āWaPo Editorial Board
- āTom Suozzi Makes the Democrats Look Good for a New York Minuteā āGail Collins, NY Times
- āMr. Suozzi goes back to Washington: Return to Congress for a sensible moderateā āNY Daily News Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that the New York special election should serve as a wake-up call for Republicans to get their act together regarding immigration, or risk suffering the same fate as GOP candidate Mazi Pilip.
- Others contend that Republicans should be worried that President Bidenās current disaster at the southern border wasnāt enough to get a purple voting district to swing to the GOPās side, and that fact could lead to a blue wave in November.
- āHow Tom Suozzi Won the Border Debate to Retake a House Seatā āWSJ Editorial Board
- āThe GOPās Pitch to the Suburbs Flopsā āJim Geraghty, National Review
- āThe House GOP was better off with George Santosā āJeremiah Poff, Washington Examiner
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