In a special congressional election to fill the vacated seat of disgraced Republican George Santos, Ethiopian-born Israeli-American Mazi Pilip, running as a Republican, lost on Tuesday to three-term congressman Tom Suozzi, as Democrats picked up a critical House seat in New York’s 3rd congressional district. The race, won by Suozzi by a larger-than-expected margin, is looked at by many as a bellwether of November’s general election. Rep. Nick LaLota, a Republican first-term U.S. House member from New York’s 1st congressional district, insisted Pilip did not spend the campaign on the defense. She also had a short campaign through which to catch up with Suozzi on name recognition. Suozzi will need to defend his seat again in November, with the special election held to fill out the remainder of Santos’s term.
