Snow in New York may jar special election

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Voters in New York’s 3rd Congressional District went to the polls during a Tuesday snowstorm to decide who will replace former Rep. George Santos, whom lawmakers expelled from the House in December.

The storm brought 5 to 11 inches of snow overnight in the New York downstate region and was expected to clear up by late afternoon.

Republicans and Democrats were concerned the snow could keep last-minute voters from going to the polls, which close at 9 p.m.

Campaigns for Republican Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator, and Democrat Tom Suozzi, a former three-term House lawmaker who previously represented the district, called on voters to come out for them.

“No snow day for Team Suozzi! Earlier on this snowy morning I met with voters at a UPS shift change. My team and I will be out and about until the polls close at 9 p.m.,” Mr. Suozzi posted on X Tuesday morning.

At Mazi campaign headquarters in Franklin Square Monday night, GOP volunteers lined up to canvas the neighborhood and were joined by Republican Party Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and fellow New York Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Nick Lalota and Anthony D’Esposito for a rally with Nassau County officials.

“Make sure you get out to vote. We’ll have those roads clean. They’ll have a shimmer of salt. And you’ll make it right up to the polls, but your votes are not enough,” said Oyster Bay GOP Supervisor Joe Saladino. “You’ve got to get out every family member, every neighbor, everyone. From that 18-year-old who’s just signed up to vote to that senior citizen because we love America.”

The Washington Times learned that Republican Super PAC the Campaign Leadership Fund hired snow plow companies to clear the roads in the district to allow easier access to the polls. 

Nassau County GOP Executive Bruce Blakeman rejected accusations from Nassau County Democrats claiming the county’s snow-plowing effort was only clearing Republican precincts.

“We have a grid. We work off the GPS. And there have been no complaints of any fooling around with the plowing or the salting,” he told Politico. “We don’t get involved in stuff like that here.”

Two recent polls released less than a week before Election Day as early voting was underway showed Mr. Suozzi with a small lead but within each survey’s margin of error, so the storm was considered a variable that could affect turnout on either side.