Former Democratic congressman Tom Suozzi secured victory in a special U.S. House of Representatives election held in New York on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, narrowing an already slim Republican majority that has faced challenges in passing legislation.
The seat became vacant after the House expelled Republican George Santos, who faced fraud charges due to a series of false claims about his background.
Suozzi, who previously held the seat before stepping down to run for governor, defeated Mazi Pilip, an Ethiopian-born Republican county legislator with military service in Israel. The district encompasses a small portion of New York City and its eastern suburbs.
The victory diminishes House Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority to 219-213, adding complexity to managing a fractious caucus. Recent hurdles were evident when the chamber failed to pass a motion to impeach President Joe Biden’s top border official, Alejandro Mayorkas, in a notable setback.
The House successfully approved the measure in a subsequent attempt on Tuesday, with the return of No. 2 Republican Steve Scalise from cancer treatment proving pivotal.
Further challenges lie ahead as Johnson deliberates over whether to consider a Ukraine aid bill passed by the Senate and as Congress faces a looming deadline to avert another government shutdown in early March.
The New York district, which supported Biden in 2020 before flipping to Republicans in the 2022 mid-term elections, has served as a battleground for both parties’ narratives in anticipation of the November election, which will determine the presidency and control of Congress.
Suozzi, a moderate Democrat, pledged to collaborate with Republicans to address pressing issues, notably the migrant crisis at the southern U.S. border. “The people of Queens and Long Island are weary of political squabbles,” he stated during a victory speech. “They want us to unite and tackle challenges.”
However, his speech was briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators accusing him of endorsing “genocide,” highlighting internal divisions within the Democratic Party over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Immigration emerged as a central theme, mirroring national concerns ahead of an anticipated rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump in November. Pilip criticized Suozzi and the Democratic Party’s immigration policies, alleging a failure to control border crossings. She garnered support from a Border Patrol officers’ labor union.
Suozzi rebutted Pilip’s assertions as misleading and emphasized the need for enhanced border security. He criticized Republicans for rejecting a Senate-negotiated border security agreement, which collapsed following Trump’s intervention.
The candidates diverged on abortion rights, a focal point for Democrats following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision. Pilip expressed personal opposition to abortion but did not endorse a federal ban.
Turnout for the special election was anticipated to be low in February and further dampened by a winter storm blanketing the region with heavy snow on Tuesday morning. Both campaigns offered free transportation to polling stations in the afternoon.
(Reuters)
