The Republican majority in the House of Representatives has become slimmer as Democrat Tim Souzzi has won the special election in New York to replace expelled Rep. George Santos.
Souzzi beat out Republican Mazi Pilip, according to the Associated Press. He captured 53.9% of the votes in the election, which saw a turnout of just under 170,000, with 93% of votes having been counted.
The special election was called after Santos was expelled last year, as reported by The Dallas Express. Once considered a future leader of the GOP, Santos’ fall from grace happened as numerous reports of serious ethics violations began to surface. Among other things, Santos lied about his ancestry, his education, and his work career, leading 105 Republicans to side with Democrats to force his expulsion.
According to The New York Times, Souzzi took an unconventional approach to dealing with issues that have caused headaches for Democrats, including crime and immigration. Souzzi has called on the Biden administration to close the southern border and said he believes the migrants indicted last week for an alleged assault on two police officers in New York City should face deportation.
“Tonight, voters again rejected MAGA chaos and chose the candidate focused on delivering results,” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) posted to X. “Freedom beats fear every time. New York continues to prove it.”
While the victory brings Democrats closer to plurality in the House, many Republicans are saying that the results of the special election are not indicative of the mood of voters broadly. Former President Donald Trump did not endorse Pilip and had harsh words following her defeat.
“Republicans just don’t learn, but maybe she was still a Democrat?” Trump posted to Truth Social. “I … just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.”
Pilip has been a registered Democrat since 2012 but ran as a Republican against Souzzi. Her opponent accused her of discussing issues, not solutions, including immigration.
Several strategists view Souzzi’s stance on the issue and his apparent distancing from the Biden administration as significant factors for his win.
“It’s a very interesting lesson to Democrats that you can escape your opponent’s attacks on immigration by not only leaning into the issue but doubling down on it,” Steve Israel, a former congressman from New York, said in an interview with The New York Times.
Souzzi will serve out the remainder of Santos’ term, which ends in January. He will then face a re-election campaign to hold the seat.
