Dem who flipped red seat suggests key strategy for Dems to win in 2024: 'Lean into this'

02 March 2024

Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-New York) has now been officially sworn into his seat representing New York's 3rd Congressional District, replacing the expelled George Santos.

In his first interview with Politico since retaking his old congressional seat, Suozzi said that his decisive win in the swing district could provide a lesson for the Democratic Party at large. The New York congressman noted that his special election took place in the midst of a national conversation about immigration and the Southern border, and that he was able to upstage his Republican opponent by signaling to voters that he was tuned into the issue.

"At the one debate we had, I said: 'My opponent says the border is a problem, and I agree.' And then she says, 'It's a problem. It's a problem. It’s a really big problem.' I was like: Okay, what's the solution? We have a solution: the bipartisan compromise in the Senate. I support that bipartisan compromise. What do you support? 'It’s a problem. It's a problem. It's a really big problem.' I get that. I support this solution. What do you support?" Suozzi said. "That phoniness will come to pass,."

"It’s not just a political issue or a strategy," he continued. "The objective has got to be: How do we actually solve this problem? And the politics will come out of that."

Suozzi ran in a district that served as a linchpin for Republicans to retake the House of Representatives after the 2022 midterms. And like former President Donald Trump, Republican nominee Mazi Pilip — an Ethiopian-born Israeli citizen — made immigration a core campaign talking point in her unsuccessful bid to keep the district in the GOP's hands. But according to Suozzi, Democrats hold the high ground on immigration, saying the US Senate's bipartisan border security bill that Republicans killed can be what exposes the GOP's hollow position on the issue.

"I think the president should lean into this," Suozzi told Politico. "Keep on pushing for a bipartisan, moderate compromise. The people will see that he’s being reasonable and trying to get it done. And we can continue to highlight that these hacks are just trying to use this as a political issue."

With Suozzi's victory, House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-Louisiana) paper-thin majority became even more tenuous. Assuming full attendance, Johnson can now only afford two defections from his caucus if he hopes to pass legislation. Likewise, Democrats could reclaim the speaker's gavel in November if they have a net gain of just three seats.

Read Suozzi's full interview by clicking here.

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