The Democratic Party of President Joe Biden won a seat in the House of Representatives in Washington on Tuesday, February 13, replacing a Republican expelled from Congress for serial lies in a New York constituency.
With this victory of centrist Democrat Tom Suozzi against Republican Mazi Pilip, according to CNN and NBC television projections, the Democrats are further chipping away at the very slim majority of Donald Trump's Republican Party in the House: so far 219 Republican seats. against 212 Democrats and four vacant seats, nine months before the presidential and legislative elections to partially renew the Senate and the House.
In this New York constituency, which includes part of the borough of Queens and Nassau County on the Long Island peninsula, Tom Suozzi, who was already the representative there from 2016 to 2022, will replace Republican George Santos until 'in the next election in November.
"Thank God!"
, exclaimed the winner from his suburban campaign stronghold.
The 61-year-old elected official, an experienced politician, was delighted to have
“won”
despite a campaign of
“twisted tricks”
and
“lies”,
particularly on the migration crisis which has destabilized New York for almost two years.
Eric Adams, the strong Democratic mayor of the megacity of 8.5 million souls – which has welcomed more than 165,000 migrants and asylum seekers from Latin America and West Africa since April 2022 – welcomed “
good news for New York”
.
If the election had national resonance, it was also held after the historic expulsion from the House of Representatives of the outgoing Republican elected official from this New York constituency, George Santos.
The thirty-year-old became famous for his repeated lies and was charged with financial crimes, before being impeached by Congress on December 1.
About 100 Republicans and more than 200 Democrats voted to oust him, such a sanction having been used only five times in the history of Congress.
Following revelations from the
New York Times
, George Santos had to admit to having lied about entire parts of his life to embellish his CV.
He had in fact never worked for the American banks Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, nor had he held a degree from New York University (NYU).
He was also charged with defrauding his donors as well as money laundering and fraud, charges to which he pleaded not guilty.