


Republican Mazi Pilip and her Democrat rival Tom Suozzi are locked in a statistical dead heat in the Feb. 13 special House election to replace expelled Long Island congressman George Santos — with voters saying Pilip would be better equipped to tackle crime and the spiraling migrant crisis, according to a new survey released Thursday.
The poll, conducted by Sienna College for Newsday, found that 44% of likely voters support Pilip, a two-time immigrant and ex-Israeli paratrooper, while 48% of voters back ex-Long Island Rep. Suozzi.
But the survey of 694 likely voters in House District 3 — which covers parts of Nassau County and northern Queens — has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points, indicating the race is up for grabs.
“While both candidates have nearly breakeven favorability ratings, Suozzi is seen by voters as likely to do a better job on protecting democracy, addressing the issue of abortion, determining aid to Ukraine and making Congress work more effectively,” said Siena College Research Institute Director Don Levy.
“Pilip is viewed as better on addressing the influx of migrants and by a slim margin on establishing American policy towards the Israel-Hamas war,” he added.
More than half (55%) of survey respondents believe Pilip, 47, will do a better job at passing legislation to keep New Yorkers safer, compared to 46% of those who believe Suozzi, 61, will do a better job, the poll found.
Meanwhile, almost half (49%) believe Pilip will better handle the crush of migrants pouring into New York, compared to 40% who think Suozzi is better suited to tackle the crisis. More than 170,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the Big Apple since spring 2022, according to city figures.
On Wednesday, the National Border Patrol Council — the union representing 18,000 Border Patrol agents — endorsed Pilip.
The survey also provides fresh evidence of why Suozzi has distanced himself from fellow Democrats — particularly President Biden.
Former President Donald Trump leads Biden 47% to 42% among likely special election voters in House District 3.
Just 39% of voters in the district had a favorable view of Biden, while 57% had an unfavorable view of the president.
When it comes to voting along party lines, both Suozzi and Pilip captured a lion’s share of the voters from their respective political parties.
Self-described independent voters — those not registered with a party — were evenly split between the candidates — 43% for Suozzi and 41% for Pilip.
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Suozzi led among female voters, capturing 51% of women voters to Pilip’s 40%, while Pilp led narrowly among men at 47% compared to Suozzi’s 44%.
Republicans insiders, however, said their own internal polling has Pilip narrowly ahead — and leading handily among independent voters.
GOP sources said the Siena poll had a much larger sample of moderate voters and fewer conservatives than their own polling suggests will vote.
According to the Sienna poll, voters believe Pilip will do a better job lowering the tax burden than her Democrat rival — 47% to 34%.
The Israel-Hamas war is also a major concern for voters in a district that has a considerable number of Jewish constituents.
Suozzi was favored by 55% of Jewish voters to 42% for Pilip, an orthodox Jewish Ethiopian native who served in the Israeli military before emigrating to the United States.
When it comes to where voters in the district live, Nassau County accounts for about three-quarters of the vote.
The race in Nassau was a draw — 46% of voters support Suozzi, a former Nassau County executive and three-term congressman, while 45% back Pilip, who represents Great Neck in the county legislature, the poll found.
The survey of the 694 likely voters in House District 3 has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points — indicating the race is a statistical dead heat and up for grabs.
The poll was nearly identical to a Pix 11/Emerson College poll released last month, which showed Suozzi leading Pilip by 3 points.