Normally I do not pay a lot of attention to special elections, unless they are for Senate seats. But I WILL be paying attention to the NY-03 special election because it is to fill George Santos' seat - and the 2 candidates could not be farther apart.
While I would not go so far as to call this a "bellwether" election, I do think this is an interesting race to watch. Not just because the seat is to replace one of the biggest con men to ever win an election, but because this election is between the former occupant of the seat, former Rep. Democrat Tom Suozzi, and a Nassau County legislator, Mazi Pilip. It has been dubbed the “Mazi vs. Suozzi” race.
This is a true purple district, with both Biden and Trump polling unfavorably.
NBC News reports that a Newsday/Siena College poll taken Feb. 3-6 "shows a narrow edge for Suozzi, who is a known quantity here after serving in the House for six years. Suozzi had 48%, while Pilip had 44%, just inside the survey’s margin of error."
The anger against Santos is a huge factor and may tilt the election to Suozzi. NBC talked to a resident who was so angry about Santos that she created a group called "Concerned Citizens of NY-03" who has made it their mission to help elect Suozzi. She said during an interview: “I just was furious. I was gonna go back to retirement but I decided, nope, gotta do something for my community.”
A survey by Siena College found that Suozzi has a more favorable rating than Pilip. But the big issue that hangs around Pilip's neck, like a very expensive Hermes scarf she can't seem to get away from, is Santos' legacy as a liar, a conman and a cheat.
Will the House of Representatives see their slim margin shrink by one more seat, making legislating virtually impossible?
