A familiar face is returning to Washington. 

Democrat Tom Suozzi, after successfully winning Tuesday’s special election in a Queens and Nassau County district by an eight point margin, is expected to be sworn in on Capitol Hill at the end of February.

His victory, which flipped a district won by Joe Biden in 2020 back into the blue column, offered a jolt of good news for Democrats heading into a competitive election year where they need to pick up just a handful of districts in order to win back control of the U.S. House. Several seats in New York are expected to be in play. 

But what clues, if anything, did the results offer about the year to come? 

What You Need To Know

  • Tom Suozzi defeated Mazi Pilip in the race to replace ousted-Rep. George Santos, with a roughly 8 point margin of victory

  • Brooklyn Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become speaker if Democrats win control of the House in November, said Suozzi’s win offered “lessons"

  • Speaker Mike Johnson said the special election was in no way a bellwether of what will happen this fall – pointing in part to heavy snowfall on election day, and Suozzi’s familiarity to voters 
  • Republicans in New York’s competitive districts brushed aside questions as well about what the results could mean for their chances of holding onto their seats.

Brooklyn Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become speaker if Democrats win control of the House in November, said Suozzi’s win offered “lessons.”

“Tom Suozzi ran a great campaign. Tom Suozzi talked about issues, fixing challenges, solving problems,” Jeffries said.

Over the past two months, Suozzi’s campaign sought to avoid nationalizing the contest, keeping Biden at a distance. 

At the same time, he attempted to go on the offensive on an issue that Republicans often claim as their own: immigration. He criticized the GOP for effectively killing the bipartisan border deal negotiated by senators. 

“Suozzi showed other Democrats the way to engage on immigration, which was not to ignore the issue but to talk about it in a way that I think was probably appealing to the middle of the electorate,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer argued the outcome of the race could be indicative of things to come in November. 

“The same negativity that voters had towards Donald Trump and people who follow him on their refusing to enact bipartisan legislation on the border, on their refusing to protect a woman’s right to choose, on their refusing to get the guns off the streets are going to hurt Donald Trump not just in the 3rd district but across America,” Schumer said Wednesday.

For their part, Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are downplaying Tuesday night’s results. 

Speaker Mike Johnson said the special election was in no way a bellwether of what will happen this fall – pointing in part to heavy snowfall on election day, and Suozzi’s familiarity to voters; compared with Republican nominee Mazi Pilip, who is relatively new to politics.

“The result last night is not something, in my view, that Democrats shouldn’t celebrate too much. Think about what happened there: they spent about $15 million to win a seat that President Biden won by eight points,” the Louisiana Republican said. 

Republicans in New York’s competitive districts brushed aside questions as well about what the results could mean for their chances of holding onto their seats. 

“The voters chose a name they knew, a face that they were familiar with, and somebody that basically ran away from what has been the Democratic agenda for the last two years,” said Rep. Marc Molinaro. 

Suozzi “ran a good race in a special election,” Rep. Mike Lawler said. “Special elections are just that: special.”