Feb. 13 (UPI) — New York voters will head to the polls Tuesday for a special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated after former GOP Rep. George Santos was expelled from Congress.
Democrat Tom Suozzi, who held the same seat representing the state’s 3rd congressional district for three terms, takes on Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip, who serves as a Nassau County lawmaker.
The district has transformed from the region Suozzi served under to more of a swing district. President Joe Biden on the district in 2020, but independents have leaned more conservative in 2022 with the influx of immigrants into the Nassau County, Long Island area.
Suozzi, a former Nassau County executive, was part of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus when he served in the House from 2016-22. He is hoping those moderate credentials will serve him well in the purple district.
Pilip, a registered Democrat, was elected by Republicans for her for her strong support for Israel and on the strength of already winning local Nassau County elections in 2021 and 2023.
A native of Ethiopia, Pilip served in the Israeli Defense Force after her family moved to Israel and before eventually migrating to the United States. She has focused on fighting crime and anti-Semitism while serving as a Nassau County legislator.
The race has drawn national attention with the GOP holding a razor-thin edge in the House, currently standing at 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats.
What is not known is how long Santos’ shadow will be in the election. Santos flipped the seat red for Republicans in 2022 but was hit immediately with charges that he lied extensively about this background and resume.
He was eventually driven out of Congress in connection with a highly critical House ethics report and investigations into his campaign financing, which all became an embarrassment for Republicans.
