When the Democrat Tom Suozzi won yesterday in a special election in New York, it narrowed the Republican majority in the House to the point where the party can only afford two defections on otherwise party-line votes.
It also means that any three Republicans could tank a bill, or that they could threaten to do so to gain leverage.
Suozzi’s eight-point victory in a district last won by a Republican could offer Democrats a playbook for competing on turf where President Biden and the party remain deeply unpopular.
Suozzi broke with party orthodoxy on crime, taxes and, above all, immigration, calling on Biden to shut down the southern border.
Suozzi’s election, however, probably doesn’t add much clarity to November’s presidential contest: Over the last three decades, there has been essentially zero relationship between presidential results and special election outcomes, our political analyst Nate Cohn wrote.
Persons:
Tom Suozzi, Biden, Suozzi, Nate Cohn
Organizations:
Republican, Republicans, Biden
Locations:
New York