Republicans are downplaying the loss of the New York House seat held formerly by disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos, saying that Democrat Tom Suozzi’s victory in Tuesday’s special election doesn’t mean anything for November.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Mr. Suozzi’s win was a byproduct of the millions of dollars that Democrats pumped into the race, arguing that the former three-term lawmaker cribbed much of his campaign rhetoric from Republicans.
“Last night is not something, in my view, the Democrats should celebrate too much,” the Louisiana Republican said. “Think about what happened there. They spent about $15 million to win a seat [in a district] that President Biden won by 8 points.
“Their candidate ran like a Republican,” Mr. Johnson said. “He sounded like a Republican talking about the border and immigration, because everybody knows that’s the top issue.”
Mr. Suozzi, who held the seat before launching an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2022, won the special election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District over the Republicans’ pick, Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator.
His win eats away at the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the lower chamber; House Republicans now have a two-vote advantage over Democrats. Republicans have 219 seats, Democrats 213, with three vacancies.
SEE ALSO: Speaker Johnson contends Dems’ New York victory doesn’t spell GOP doom in the fall
According to federal records, Ms. Pilip raised more than $1.3 million between Dec. 16 to Jan. 24, while Mr. Suozzi raised $4.5 million.
While some speculated that the demise of the Senate’s bipartisan foreign aid and border package may have led to the Democrats’ win, lawmakers said it was other factors, including Mr. Suozzi’s name recognition and the multiple inches of snow the island saw on Election Day.
Rep. Mike Lawler also chalked up the Democrats’ win to how much they spent on the campaign and Mr. Suozzi’s familiarity with the district’s constituents.
“Let’s not try to make this into some big narrative In November,” the New York Republican said. “It’s not.”
Fellow New York Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro said special elections are “very challenging.”
“The voters chose a name they knew, a face that they were familiar with. And somebody, quite frankly, that basically ran away from what has been the Democratic agenda for the last two years,” Mr. Molinaro said. “Personally, I look forward to Tom reaching across the aisle to work with members like me.”
SEE ALSO: Trump calls Mazi Pilip a ‘very foolish woman’ after she lost seat to replace Santos
Others, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, called Ms. Pilip a “horrible candidate” and knocked her for being a registered Democrat, which she has been since 2012, and for “hating” former President Donald Trump.
The Georgia Republican said the local GOP should’ve paid more attention because “voters are supporting President Trump and if you’re going to run a Republican candidate, make sure they’re actually Republican.”
Mr. Trump lashed out at Republicans on Truth Social shortly after the race was called, saying they “just don’t learn.”
“I have an almost 99% Endorsement Success Rate in Primaries, and a very good number in the General Elections, as well, but just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America,” the former president said.
Ms. Pilip has said she voted for Mr. Trump in 2020.
President Biden’s campaign blamed Mr. Trump. “When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda — even in a Republican-held seat — voters reject them,” the campaign said.
Tuesday’s election finalizes the saga surrounding Mr. Santos, who faces federal fraud and wire charges after the House Ethics Committee revealed there was “overwhelming evidence” that he broke the law multiple times and exploited his office for his personal profit. He was expelled in December.
Both Ms. Pilip and Mr. Suozzi have pledged to run again in November for a full two-year term.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.