Republican Mazi Pilip and Democrat Tom Suozzi each made their final appeals to voters Monday in the tight House race to replace ousted Long Island Rep. George Santos, although Mother Nature may have the final say. .
Political experts feared that the storm forecast to dump up to eight inches of snow on the region on Tuesday could affect turnout in the special election for the Third Congressional District that covers much of Nassau County and parts of northern Queens. .
“As close as this race has been and after the millions of dollars that have been spent, the election could be decided by the weather gods,” said Lawrence Levy, dean of the national center for suburban studies at the University of Hofstra and long-time observer of Long Island Politics.
Some said the storm could give Suozzi, a former three-term congressman, an advantage as thousands more Democrats turned out during nine days of early voting in the tight race.
But conservatives angry over issues like the growing border crisis and discontent with President Biden might be more motivated to dig their car out of the snow and ice and drive to the polls to vote for Pilip, a Nassau County legislator.
“It could be a problem for both parties. There is diversity of opinion in both parties about the impact,” Levy said.
A winter storm is expected to potentially impact voter turnout in the special election to replace former Rep. George Santos in Queens and Long Island on February 13, 2024. FOX Weather
Pilip encouraged his supporters to get out and vote despite the weather at an election eve event at his campaign headquarters on Monday.
“Tomorrow your job is to reach the goal. The goal is a great victory,” she told the gathered crowd. “It doesn’t matter if it’s going to rain or snow. We will leave safely. “We are going to encourage people to vote safely because we are talking about saving our country, saving the country that we love most.”
The New York City metropolitan area is expected to receive several inches of snow. FOX
Nassau’s GOP machine has a better “get out the vote” operation on Election Day, something former U.S. Sen. Al D’Amato, who has strong ties to the local GOP, hinted would help ensure that Wet weather does not affect participation in the elections. Pilip.
“I don’t think the weather has a big impact. We’ll have more people driving voters to the polls,” D’Amato told The Post, adding that anger with state lawmakers and Washington will also encourage people to go out and vote.
“Mazi is going to win. Biden screwed up. There is a border crisis and people hate it,” D’Amato said.
He also noted that Pilip, an Orthodox Jew who served in the Israeli military, will do substantially better even among Democratic-leaning Jewish voters in the district because of Biden’s vague support for Israel in its war with Hamas.
Mazi Pilip speaks on Monday during a rally ahead of tomorrow’s special election. Michael Nagel
Both candidates have distanced themselves from the president, and Pilip, in an interview on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” Monday morning, emphasized that his opponent backed many of Biden’s policies when he was in Congress during the 2021-2022 term. .
“The immigration crisis we are facing now. The illegal immigration that comes to our country are things that he [Suozzi] created,” Pilip said.
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“He is responsible. “We have to tell him to take responsibility.”
Pilip added: “I am going to secure our border. “This is our job.”
Former Rep. Tom Suozzi said he is running to help “heal our country.” Edmund Coppa
She noted that she and her husband legally immigrated to the United States from Israel and emphasized that immigration must be done in a “planned” manner, unlike the “disorder” on the southern border with Mexico under the Biden administration.
The Republican candidate insisted on the border crisis as an important campaign issue at the rally in front of her electoral headquarters.
“[Migrants are] coming to our country illegally and attacking our authorities, attacking our police officers,” he said, referring to the immigrants’ assault on two NYPD police officers in Times Square.
“How dare we allow this kind of thing to happen in front of our eyes?” He also criticized his opponent for her failed bid for governor. “He just wants to come back because he lost the governorship and now he wants his old job back,” Pilip said. “Mazi Pilip will take you down.”
Meanwhile, Suozzi said he is presenting himself as the candidate who will work on the other side of the Republican spectrum and described Pilip as “embracing the far-right positions of the Republican Party and refusing to compromise.”
“I’m not just running as a Democrat versus a Republican. Let’s work together as Democrats and Republicans to heal our country,” Suozzi said on Fox 5.
He said he supported the Senate bill that included a commitment to bolster border security, but it collapsed in the face of GOP opposition.
Nassau County Democratic Leader Jay Jacobs said he was concerned about the stormy weather when Gov. Kathy Hochul set the Feb. 13 special election date, and that was why Team Suozzi had emphasized the early voting period, which ended Saturday.
“I said, ‘We better be prepared for a snowstorm in a special election because it could happen.’ What do you know? I should be in the timing business,” Jacobs joked to The Post.
Suozzi speaking to his constituents at a bakery in Glen Cove on February 12, 2004. JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
He said the slippery conditions could hit Republicans harder, but the whole thing could be overblown as he hoped the storm would go away and conditions would improve.
Suozzi’s campaign said it was increasing the number of trips to the polls and would still have volunteers going door-to-door and continuing to make phone calls on Election Day, despite the snow.
At least 11,000 more Democrats than Republicans combined voted early in the Nassau and Queens parts of the district, when accounting for absentee ballots that have been received, Jacobs said.
Lisa Taylor, 39, a lifelong Long Island resident who works at an ice cream shop, said the snow won’t keep her home and she will vote for Pilip.
“I always vote… Because New York sucks and we need to change and we need to get rid of the people in charge,” Taylor told the Post on Monday from Franklin Square, where Pilip was hosting a rally that same night.
Read more of The Post’s coverage of the special election to replace George Santos:
Republican Mazi Pilip is running against former Rep. Tom Suozzi in the special election to replace George Santos in New York’s Third Congressional District. Gabriela Bass; Kevin C. Downs for the New York Post
Joe Bowler, 58, another lifelong Long Islander, said he had already voted early (for Pilip), but was worried the snow would depress turnout.
“It’s unfortunate, but there is a vacancy that needs to be filled,” he said of the timing of the election.
“It’s an aging community and a lot of people don’t like driving in the snow, going out in the snow or slipping in the snow,” he added.
The race to close out the final 11 months of Santos’ term has been heated, with advertising spending exceeding $21.5 million: $13.6 million for the Democrats-Suozzi and $7.9 million for the republicans-Pilip.
Republicans narrowed the ad spending gap from 6 to 1 for Suozzi last month to 2 to 1 down the stretch.
Polls will be open from 6 am to 9 pm on Election Day.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn