Former Democratic Representative Tom Suozzi romped to victory in Tuesday’s special election for expelled Representative George Santos’ Long Island-Queens seat, defeating GOP rival and Nassau County legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip by roughly eight points (with 93 percent of the votes counted) in a race that had been considered a tossup.

For now, Republicans are staying mum about who they will run against him in November after Pilip’s public safety slash New York migrant crisis-focused campaign fell flat with the affluent district’s suburban and independent voters. Waiting things out may be wise.

Suozzi is well-known by voters and proved to be a deft campaigner in the Long Island-Queens district he had represented for three terms before he left his seat in 2022 to run for governor. And as many Democrats have pointed out, the former Nassau County executive and Glen Cove mayor responded to attack ads on his immigration record by leaning into the issue rather than shying away from it.

A Tuesday morning snowstorm certainly didn’t help Pilip’s margin, though Suozzi’s decisive victory means it’s doubtful higher Election Day turnout from Republicans would have altered the outcome.

As NR pointed out last night, the Nassau County GOP made a gamble when it rallied behind Pilip, a registered Democrat and Ethiopian-Israeli immigrant who wasn’t a known commodity in the district. She’s relatively new to politics after flipping a local legislative seat in 2021 with the help of local Republicans.

It’s unclear whether she will run against Suozzi again in November, though she’s certainly leaving the door open for a rematch. “Yes we lost but it doesn’t mean we are going to end here,” Pilip told her supporters Tuesday evening.

In a statement to NR, Nassau County GOP Chairman Joe Cairo praised Pilip for running what he called a “top-level” campaign against Suozzi in the special election but declined to say whether the party will rally behind her again in November. “I appreciate her hard work, as well as her dedication to Republican values and ideals. She has a bright future in the Republican Party,” Cairo said. “We will meet in the coming days to discuss her future plans and aspirations.”

Recall that Suozzi’s Long Island-Queens district may look very different later in the year once candidates and incumbents get new lines. If the new district looks even friendlier to Suozzi, New York Republicans will likely think twice before throwing a strong GOP candidate to the wolves…