President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party won a seat in the House of Representatives in Washington on Tuesday night, replacing a Republican expelled from Congress for serial lying in a New York district.
With this victory of centrist Democrat Tom Suozzi against Republican Mazi Pilip, according to projections from CNN and NBC television, the Democrats are further chipping away at the very slim majority of Donald Trump’s Republican Party in the House: so far 219 Republican seats. against 212 Democrats and four vacant seats, nine months before the presidential and legislative elections to partially renew the Senate and the House.
In this New York constituency, which includes part of the borough of Queens and Nassau County on the Long Island peninsula, Tom Suozzi, who was already the representative there from 2016 to 2022, will replace Republican George Santos until ‘in the next election in November.
” Thank God ! “, exclaimed the winner from his suburban campaign stronghold while pro-Palestinian demonstrators shouting “genocide” briefly occupied the platform.
“Crooked blows”
The 61-year-old elected official, an experienced politician, was delighted to have “won” despite a campaign of “devious tricks” and “lies”, particularly on the migration crisis which has destabilized New York for almost two years.
Eric Adams, the strong Democratic mayor of the megacity of 8.5 million souls – which has welcomed more than 165,000 migrants and asylum seekers from Latin America and West Africa since April 2022 – hailed “good news for New York”.
Mme Pilip said he conceded his victory by calling his competitor to congratulate him.
Mr. Suozzi may have benefited from low turnout this Tuesday due to a snowstorm which paralyzed the city and its surrounding area and after many voters, particularly Democrats, had already voted in recent days.
Replicating the campaign themes of the upcoming presidential election between MM. Trump and Biden, Mme Pilip and Mr. Suozzi argued over immigration and abortion.
Mazi Pilip has a unique background: Orthodox Jew, mother of seven children, she was born in Ethiopia in 1978 or 1979, before emigrating to Israel in 1991, serving in the armed forces of the Hebrew State then emigrating to the United States and acquire its nationality.
If the election had national resonance, it was also held after the historic expulsion from the House of Representatives of the outgoing Republican elected official from this New York constituency, George Santos.
The thirty-year-old was famous for his repeated lies and was charged with financial crimes, before being impeached by Congress on 1er December. About 100 Republicans and more than 200 Democrats voted to oust him, such a sanction having been used only five times in the history of Congress.
Following revelations from New York Times, George Santos had to admit to having lied about entire parts of his life to embellish his CV. He had in fact never worked for the American banks Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, nor had he held a degree from New York University (NYU).
He was also charged with defrauding his donors as well as money laundering and fraud, charges to which he pleaded not guilty.