Polls are closed in New York for a pair of special elections, including the highly anticipated race to fill the congressional seat left vacant by ex-Rep. George Santos.
But the special elections were largely overshadowed by New York City’s biggest snowstorm in recent years. The inclement weather made getting to polling sites harder for many into the early afternoon and added a new logistical challenge for campaigns seeking to make a last-minute push to the polls among their supporters.
Democratic candidate Tom Suozzi and Republican candidate Mazi Pilip are squaring off for Santos’ former seat in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from eastern Queens through the North Shore of Nassau County, with a southern dip to Massapequa Park.
Democrats and Republicans around the state and the country are watching this special election, which comes as Republicans try to maintain their razor-thin House majority ahead of November’s elections and as issues like immigration, the Israel-Hamas war and chaos in Washington have taken center stage.
Outside of a polling place in Mineola, Joanne Snopkowski, 73, said the border, crime “and the prices of everything” are top of mind for her as a Republican.
“I just think that the Democrats went overboard and did things that they shouldn’t have,” she said, noting that she was supporting Pilip.
Jim Scott, 47, an independent, said the economy, supporting Ukraine and social issues are his main focus.
“The House of Representatives is really close now, so I think it’s more essential than ever for people to go out and vote because it matters now,” Scott said.
Scott said he’s supporting Suozzi because he doesn’t like what he sees going on with the Republican party in the House.
“It feels like the Jerry Springer Show,” he said. “Just a lot of theater and not a lot of action.”
With snow blanketing the region early Tuesday, the campaigns got creative. Both Suozzi and Pilip’s campaigns were offering to drive voters to their polling places on Tuesday due to the snowstorm.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC dedicated to supporting House Republicans, even hired snowplow companies to clear streets around polling sites, according to a PAC spokesperson.
“I always vote, no matter the weather,” said Snopkowski.
As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 77,000 people cast a ballot in the 3rd Congressional District race, according to the city and Nassau County boards of election.
Roughly 67,000 people cast their ballots in the race during the nine days of early voting, according to data from the city and Nassau County election boards. That’s about 13% of the district’s roughly 530,000 active voters.
While all eyes are on the congressional race, another special election wrapped up to fill a vacant Assembly seat in the Bronx.
Democrat Landon Dais, an attorney with roots in Harlem politics, is facing off against Republican Norman McGill, a tenant leader at NYCHA’s Highbridge Houses, to represent the 77th Assembly District. The district covers parts of the Highbridge, Morris Heights and Claremont neighborhoods.
The 77th Assembly District was previously represented by Democrat Latoya Joyner, who announced in early January that she would not seek re-election and was leaving public service.
Fewer than 300 people voted early in this race, according to the city’s Board of Election.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Leave a Reply