The candidates vying to replace expelled Rep. George Santos now face a new potential obstacle ahead of Tuesday’s special election: snow.
Democrat Tom Suozzi is urging his supporters to stay ahead of the weather by casting their votes before the end of early voting on Sunday evening. A spokesperson for Republican nominee Mazi Pilip did not respond to a request for comment.
The New York City region could possibly experience a winter storm on Monday evening and into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service, and areas in the Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Connecticut could receive up to 6 inches of snow.
At the moment, forecasts call for only 1 to 2 inches of possible snow for New York City and Long Island. The 3rd Congressional District includes neighborhoods in eastern Queens and the North Shore of Nassau County, with a southern dip to Massapequa Park.
Nearly 280,000 voters cast their ballots in this congressional contest in 2022, according to state Board of Elections data. Turnout already tends to be low during special elections, and the added complication of potentially inclement weather could depress it further.
Suozzi holds a 4-point lead over Pilip in the most recent Newsday/Siena College poll, which is roughly even with the margin of error. The closely watched contest is seen as an early test of how both parties’ messages resonate with voters in a crucial election year where control of Congress and the White House hang in the balance.
On Sunday, voters in Queens have from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and must cast their ballots at an assigned early voting poll site, while voters in Nassau County have from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can cast their ballots at any vote center in the county.
In the Bronx, there is also a special election to fill a vacant Assembly seat in the 77th District, which includes the Concourse, Highbridge and Morris Heights neighborhoods. Early voting there also ends on Sunday evening.
Attorney Landon Dais is the Democratic nominee, and will face off against Republican Norman McGill, president of NYCHA’s Highbridge Gardens Tenants Association.
Polls will reopen on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day in both districts.
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