Rep. Tom Suozzi declares victory over Republican challenger in race for George Santos’ old seat in NY-3

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi declared victory late Tuesday and is expected to retain control of the old seat of disgraced former GOP congressman George Santos on Long Island.

According to the Associated Press, Suozzi had 52% of the vote while his Republican challenger Michael LiPetri Jr. had 48%, with 84% of expected ballots counted as of 12:14 p.m.

“I think we all recognize that the people of the United States of America and the people of my congressional district are tired of extremism,” Suozzi told supporters gathered at the Garden City Hotel in Nassau County.

“They are tired of people constantly attacking each other. They want us to work together and get results, and that’s the only reason I won this race because people resonate with that message,” he said.

The District 3 seat, covering parts of Long Island and Queens, was once held by Santos, who became the sixth House member to be expelled from the House following a scathing ethics report.

Before Santo’s election in 2022, Suozzi held the post but opted instead for an unsuccessful bid to become governor.

Suozzi won back his seat in a special election in February and sought to secure a full two-year term in the face of a challenge from LiPetri, a former state senator.

House Republicans tried in vain to undermine Suozzi’s re-election bid by focusing on his ties to Mayor Eric Adams, calling them “two birds of the same wing.”

Before polls closed, Suozzi was confident he would retain his seat, a source close to his campaign told The Post.

“They threw millions and millions at him during the special, he didn’t change his message, it was always the way it was. He won by 8 points,” the source said.