New York Democrat wins U.S. House seat vacated by George Santos

Voters in Long Island on Tuesday night elected Tom Suozzi during a special election to fill New York’s 3rd District seat. The Democrat defeated Republican candidate Mazi Pilip—a county-level legislator and mother of seven—to flip the U.S. House seat. Former Republican representative George Santos vacated the position in December when lawmakers voted to expel him. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in October charged Santos with 23 felonies, including money laundering, lying to Congress, and falsifying records. He is set to stand trial this fall.

What will happen next? Suozzi will hold the position for the 11 months that remain in Santos’ term. He must run again in the November election to seek another full term. Suozzi represented the district for three terms before launching a failed campaign for New York governor in 2022. 

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how much money political candidates have raised during their campaigns.