Polls CLOSING in special election to fill George Santos’ seat in New York’s District 3: Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Pilip battle for seat in vote that could impact Republican Party majority in the House of Representatives

Polls have closed for the special election to replace Republican fabulist George Santos after his dramatic ouster from Congress. The outcome of the election could affect Republicans’ already razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives.

Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Pilip were locked in a tight battle for the vacant seat that covers parts of Long Island and Queens.

The district was a Democratic stronghold for years before Republicans were able to turn it red in 2022 as part of a series of victories in the New York suburbs, which turned red in recent years.

A Democratic victory would further reduce the already slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives The Republicans have only 219 seats, while the Democrats have 212 seats. This could give hope to Democrats who aim to regain the majority in the House of Representatives in November.

Polls in New York’s Third District opened at 6 a.m. ET and closed at 9 p.m. ET, but it’s not yet entirely clear how a winter storm making its way through the region affected voter turnout.

Pilip and Suozzi both encouraged voters to cast their ballots despite a winter storm warning through Tuesday evening, when the Nor’easter dropped up to a foot of snow on parts of the region.

Preliminary data showed voter turnout in the special election was similar to 2022. Election Day turnout appeared lower but improved as the snow cleared later in the day.

Democrats had an edge among those who cast ballots during more than a week of early voting.

Suozzi and Pilip are in a tight race to fill the vacant seat of ex-congressman George Santos

Suozzi arrives at a campaign event as the district faces winter weather warnings on February 13

New York’s special election took place Tuesday in the Third District, which includes parts of Long Island and Queens

Pilip speaks at a rally on the eve of the special election, surrounded by New York Republicans, including House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (far right)

Democratic candidate Tom Suozzi, 61, is a former congressman who represented the district for three terms before a failed 2022 New York gubernatorial election. He is a longtime political player on Long Island, having previously served as Nassau County Executive and mayor of Glen Cove had served.

Republican candidate Mazi Pilip, 44, is a mother of seven and an Israeli-American born in Ethiopia who served in the Israeli army before immigrating to the US. She was elected to the Nassau County Legislature in 2021.

In the weeks before election day, both candidates went on the offensive as a series of recent polls showed Suozzi and Pilip in a statistical deadlock.

Pilip tried to tie Suozzi, who served in the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023, to President Joe Biden, claiming he voted with the president “100 percent of the time.”

Suozzi pushed back and avoided appearing before the president. On the eve of the election, he acknowledged that Biden “is old and there is no doubt about that.”

At the same time, Suozzi accused Pilip of being “Santos 2.0,” claiming she was unvetted, unprepared and vague in her filing.

Santos became only the sixth House member ever expelled from Congress after just 11 months in office. He faces multiple fraud and theft charges and is accused of lying about almost every aspect of his background.

Pilip, who is still a registered Democrat, responded that she is “very well vetted” and is proud of her record, while criticizing Suozzi as an extremist career politician trying to run away from his record.

Ex-GOP Congressman George Santos is accused of lying about almost every aspect of his background. He faces multiple charges of fraud and theft. The trial will take place later this year

Santos has said he would not vote in New York’s special election to replace him after he was expelled from Congress last year

Perhaps no issue has been more confrontational during the campaign than border security, which also took center stage in Washington. Suozzi expressed support for a bipartisan Senate bill to address the border and blasted Republicans for being unwilling to compromise on a deal.

Pilip does not support the bipartisan deal, one of the most conservative proposals in decades, claiming it would greenlight a migrant invasion.

The candidates also clashed over abortion rights, gun safety and taxes, as the 2017 tax law restricting state and local tax (SALT) deductions hit Long Island residents particularly hard.

Suozzi warned that Pilip would help pass a national abortion ban, a strong line of attack that Democrats have waged against Republicans since the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Pilip, who describes herself as pro-life, refuted his claim and said she believes women have the right to make their own decision.

Pilip in turn accused Suozzi of raising taxes. Suozzi pushed back, pointing to his work to repeal the SALT cap during his time in Congress, an ongoing effort that has so far been unsuccessful for lawmakers.

One area where the candidates did find some common ground was on aid to Israel as the US ally wages a war in Gaza following the October 7 terror attack.

Suozzi bucked Democrats by announcing he would support a standalone Republican House bill to provide aid to Israel.

He said he would prefer a more comprehensive approach that would also include Ukraine and Taiwan, but that he would support one that applies only to Israel. Pilip told Fox News this weekend that she would support the $95 billion bill, which provides aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, if it were elected Tuesday.

In 2022, Santos won the district, which was redrawn after the 2020 census, with more than 53 percent of the vote to Democrat Robert Zimmerman’s 46 percent.

In December, the state’s highest court ordered that the independent redistricting commission redraw the boundaries of the state’s congressional districts for the November elections. The commission has until February 28 to release the plan, but the ruling is expected to be more favorable to Democrats in the state.