A car drives along Main Street as snow falls in Tappan, New York, on February 10, 2024.
Kena Betancur | AFP | Getty Images
Democrat Tom Suozzi has won the New York special election to replace expelled former Rep. George Santos, NBC News projects, flipping a red seat blue and further narrowing Republicans’ slim House majority.
The seat representing New York’s 3rd Congressional District had been vacant since Santos was ousted from Congress late last year under a cloud of scandals and criminal charges.
Suozzi, who previously represented the district, is projected to defeat Republican Mazi Pilip.
Surveys conducted before Election Day showed a tight race between Suozzi and Pilip in the district, which covers parts of Long Island and Queens. But NBC and other outlets projected the outcome of the race less than 90 minutes after polls closed.
“Let’s send a message to our friends running the Congress these days: Stop running around for Trump, and start running the country,” Suozzi said in a victory speech.
As Suozzi took the stage, a pro-Palestinian protester confronted him and screamed, “You support genocide!” The protester was swiftly taken of the stage.
The special election, conducted in spite of a major snowstorm that barreled through the northeast Tuesday morning, could have a major impact on the balance of power in Congress.
Suozzi could be sworn into Congress within days, raising the number of House Democrats to 213 — a relative hair’s breadth from the chamber’s 219-member GOP majority. That means that if the full House is voting, Republicans can only allow two defectors to break ranks and still pass legislation along party lines.
Democratic congressional candidate for New York’s 3rd congressional district, Tom Suozzi, gives a thumb up as he campaigns in Westbury, New York, on Feb. 13, 2024.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
Both parties poured millions of dollars into the contest, but Democrats have spent twice as much as Republicans on advertising — $13 million in total over…
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