With his victory over competitor Mazi Pilip on Tuesday night, Tom Suozzi denied Republicans an opportunity to increase their already thin House of Representatives majority.
After Mr. Santos was removed from Congress due to fraud charges, he will serve out the remainder of his tenure.
The contest was being keenly monitored as a predictor of the elections in November.
During a victory address, Mr. Suozzi stated, “This race was fought amidst a closely divided electorate,” which was momentarily stopped by demonstrators demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
With the words, “It’s time to find common ground and start delivering for the people of America,” he put an emphasis on bringing people together and mending political divides.
With 87% of the predicted votes counted, challenger Ms. Pilip had 45% and Mr. Suozzi had 54%, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner.
The Democrat, who chose to run for governor of New York in 2022 after serving three terms in the US House, is making a comeback to Congress with this race.
Following the failure of that campaign, Mr. Santos was elected by voters to replace him in Congress.
Voters concentrate on important topics after George Santos’ antics
Former supporters of Santos discuss their disappointment with the congressman
“Let’s Fix This,” Mr. Suozzi’s campaign slogan, inspired him to launch a well-funded campaign to regain his district. He presented himself as a seasoned leader, someone the electorate was already familiar with.
