Democrats will have one more seat in the House of Representatives after winning a special election in New York

Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election for a US House seat in New York on Tuesday, a victory in a politically mixed suburban district that could boost his party’s election hopes. Fiercely contested presidential election later this year.

Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Philip When filling a vacant seat George SantosEven the Republic, He was expelled from the Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before running unsuccessfully for governor.

It’s unclear how long his next term in the Capitol will last, as a redistricting process unfolds that could reshape the district. But the result currently reduces the already slim Republican majority in the House. And that’s what the Democrats deliver A much-needed victory in the Long Island suburbs of New York CityWhere the Republican Party has shown surprising strength in recent elections.

Suozzi emphasized the theme of his election campaign Bilateral cooperation In a victory speech that was briefly interrupted by protesters criticizing his support for Israel.

“There are sections in our country where people cannot even talk to each other. The only thing they can do is shout at each other,” he said, greeting the protesters. “It is not the answer to the problems we face in our country. The answer is to try to bring people together to try to find common ground.

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“The way to make our country a better place is to try to find common ground. It is not easy to do. That’s hard to do,” Suozzi told supporters at his election night party in Woodbury.

A Suozzi victory would likely reassure Democrats that they can perform well in suburban communities across the country, which will be critical to the party’s efforts to regain control of the US House of Representatives and re-elect President Joe Biden.

Still, forecasts for November could be complicated because the short race was already expected to result in low turnout, potentially hampered by a storm that dumped several inches of snow on the district on Election Day. In both campaigns voters were given free rides to the polls while snow plows cleared wet slush from roads.

In the short term, the outcome could factor into very close votes in the House, where Republicans hold just a 219-212 majority. In an example of how important seating can be, House Republicans voted Tuesday night to remove Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by one vote, chastising the Biden administration for its border policies..

Earlier in the day, at a polling place on Long Island, Eliezer Sarias, 59, said he voted for Suozzi because the former congressman seemed more able to work with the opposition to reach a compromise and end gridlock. Congress.

“Voters elect our officials to do specific jobs, and we’ve had a really steady year in Congress.”Sarrias said after voting at a high school in Levittown. “Even with immigrants now, we had a bipartisan agreement in Congress and all of a sudden it evaporated, like, why? Do we really need to wait for another president to arrive, or are the issues that concern everyone unimportant right now?

During the campaign, Suozzi, a centrist politician, leaned toward some of the same themes Republicans used to criticize Democrats, calling for tougher US border policies and the repeal of a New York law that made it difficult for judges to detain criminal suspects awaiting arraignment. Rehearsal

The unusual mid-winter election was necessitated after Santos was ousted by his colleagues in December midway through his first term.

Santos won office in a reliably Democratic district by misrepresenting himself as an American success story: the son of working-class immigrants who became a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. But many elements of Santos’ biography were later exposed as lies, and He was indicted on several charges, including allegations that he stole money from Republican donors. He has pleaded not guilty.

With no time for a primary before the special election, Democrats nominated Suozzi, a centrist politician known to voters in the district.

Republican leaders turned to Philip, a relatively unknown candidate with a unique personal story. Born in Ethiopia, she immigrated to Israel as part of Operation Solomon and served in the Israel Defense Forces before moving to the United States and winning a seat on the Nassau County Legislature in 2021.

Philipp conceded the race and said he congratulated Suozzi in a phone call Tuesday night.

“Yes, we lost, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to finish here.”Philip told his followers at his election watch party.

Biden’s campaign manager was quick to link the victory to the upcoming presidential race: “Donald Trump lost again tonight. “When Republicans go along with Trump’s extreme agenda, even in Republican-held seats, voters reject him.”Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.

Trump reacted to the result in a post on his social media site Truth Social, calling Phillippe “a very stupid woman” who was “running a race where she didn’t have her back and was trying to ‘straddle’ me, when she did.” .” i will do If I had understood anything about modern politics in America, I would have easily won“

The short campaign was dominated by issues — abortion, immigration and crime — that are expected to shape crucial suburban races across the country in this year’s battle for control of Congress.

Despite international migration, Philip criticized Suozzi over the influx of asylum seekers into New York City, accusing Democrats and Biden of failing to secure the US southern border.

In response, Suozzi spent much of the campaign talking about the need to strengthen border policy, pointing to a time in Congress when he opposed his own party on the issue. In the final phase, Suozzi said he would support a temporary closure of the border to stem the number of arrivals, similar to comments made by Biden.

Suozzi hit back at Philip on abortion, saying she could not be trusted to protect abortion rights in places like New York, where it is legal.

Philip said he is personally against abortion, but will not impose his beliefs on others and opposes any attempt by Congress to impose a nationwide ban. He has also said that mifepristone, an abortion drug, should be available nationwide.

Both candidates expressed their unwavering support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, and even appeared together in a rare joint event to express solidarity.

Democrats and Republicans will have a chance to rematch congressional seats in November’s general election, though the battleground may look different.

That’s because the state’s congressional districts will be redrawn in the coming months due to a court order. Democrats who dominate state government are expected to try to draw more favorable lines for their candidates.

New York is expected to play a big role in deciding control of Congress this yearWith competitive racing in multiple events in suburban and exurban rings around New York City.

(with information from AP)