Who will replace George Santos? Points from the Pilip-Suozzi debate

The candidates vying to replace George Santos in a special election for the House of Representatives found themselves locked in an extremely bitter debate Thursday, examining the roots of New York City's migrant crisis, abortion rights and, at one point, the definition of 'assault weapon' became confused.

The Long Island showdown was voters' only chance to see the candidates debate, and they tried to smear each other at close range. Mazi Pilip, the Republican candidate, claimed that her opponent, Tom Suozzi, had “opened the border.” He called her completely unprepared for Congress.

The February 13 election is considered a toss-up. A victory for Mr. Suozzi would reduce Republicans' razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives at a time when they are already struggling to govern. If he loses, it could signal trouble for Democrats ahead of the November elections.

Here are five takeaways from the debate, presented by News 12.

The migrant crisis dominates the race.

New York is nearly 2,000 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, but it's clear the race has become a referendum on the influx of migrants trying to cross the border. The only question is who will take the blame in the eyes of frustrated voters.

Ms. Pilip, a Nassau County lawmaker who emigrated from Israel, provided additional details about her own regulations to secure the border (she supports a wall and more border agents). But she repeatedly accused Mr. Suozzi, a moderate former three-term congressman, of siding with President Biden and far-left members of the House of Representatives “squad” to encourage illegal immigration.

“Tom Suozzi opened the border. Tom Suozzi financed the sanctuary city. Tom Suozzi kicked ICE out of Nassau County,” she said. Turning to Mr Suozzi, she added: “This is absolutely you; you have to own it.

Mr. Suozzi called the allegations “absurd,” explaining that he supported Immigration and Customs Enforcement and had only opposed the group in 2007 after rogue officers pulled guns on police officers in Nassau County.

“For you to suggest I'm on the team is as credible as you being on George Santos' volleyball team,” he joked.

More striking were Mr. Suozzi's attempts to go on the offensive on an issue that generally favors Republicans. Presenting himself as a pragmatic dealmaker, he sharply criticized Ms. Pilip for her opposition to a bipartisan bill in the Senate that would have curbed asylum applications and closed the border if there were too many attempts to cross.

“Her resistance will help keep the border open and bring more migrants to New York,” he said.

Ms. Pilip avoided questions about abortion and assault weapons.

Faced with a barrage of ads attacking her position on abortion rights, Ms. Pilip said she wanted to set the record straight. Her answers were anything but.

Ms Pilip said she was “pro-life” and the proud mother of seven children. But she added: “I'm not going to force my own beliefs on any woman, so I'm not going to support the national abortion ban.”

But when Mr. Suozzi tried to advance more specific positions on restoring Roe v. Wade or how she would vote on potential restrictions that fall short of a national ban, the Republican pushed back. She accused Mr Suozzi of trying to tell a woman what to think about her own body and of distorting her data.

“How dare you lie like that,” she said. But she never answered his question, or any moderator's follow-ups.

A similar pattern emerged when an audience member asked whether the candidates would support a ban on the type of assault weapons often used in mass shootings.

Mr. Suozzi said he would support a ban and proudly reminded viewers of his “F” rating from the National Rifle Association. Ms Pilip answered a question that was not asked.

“I don't see any reason why the average American or individual should have a more powerful weapon than our officers,” she said. “That's why I'm not going to support automatic assault weapons.”

But automatic weapons are already illegal for civilians, as Mr. Suozzi noted. And when he asked again if she was in favor of banning semiautomatic weapons such as AR-15s, Ms. Pilip did not answer.

Experience or a fresh face?

Mr. Suozzi, 61, once campaigned for governor with the slogan: “I can do it because I did it.” He offered voters the same message Thursday evening, showing his expertise on thorny tax issues and foreign policy.

Ms. Pilip, who at age 44 is serving her second term in the part-time Nassau County Legislature, presented herself as a relatively fresh face. “I'm not a typical politician who can talk so well,” she said.

Both approaches, in their own ways, are aimed at winning over moderate suburban voters who have turned away from hyper-partisan politics. But their disadvantages were also fully visible.

Ms. Pilip used a two-word pejorative — career politician — to describe her opponent and drew on his long record on immigration and taxes to attack him.

She, in turn, had moments when she looked particularly unseasoned for a congressional candidate in a major race. Ms. Pilip was forced to explain how she would reinstate the full state and local tax deduction, a major problem for homeowners, and suggested voters should simply trust her.

“If I want something, I'll deliver it,” she said.

The race is very, very close.

With just five days before Election Day and early voting underway, there was little reason to believe the exchanges had enough power to change the trajectory of the race as it barreled toward an extraordinarily close finish.

Two polls released Thursday showed Suozzi with a slight lead, although both results were within the surveys' margin of error. a Siena College Survey conducted for Newsday, Mr. Suozzi led Ms. Pilip, 48 percent to 44 percent, among likely voters. Another survey from Emerson College for WPIX-TV he found an increase from 50 percent to 47 percent.

Democrats still have a financial advantage, outspending Republicans on television and digital advertising by almost two to one. But Republicans have dominated a series of local elections on Long Island, thanks in large part to a vaunted voting machine.

George Santos is gone, but his shadow is not.

The question was simple enough: What will you do to restore the integrity of the seat once occupied by Mr. Santos, a serial liar and accused fraudster who has been expelled from the House of Representatives?

Ms. Pilip, who campaigned with Mr. Santos in 2022, said she aspired to live her own life with integrity and submitted to multiple background checks before accepting the Republican nomination.

“Everything I have achieved in my life is through hard work,” she said. “What I have written in my CV is always correct.”

And with that, the debate seemed to be moving toward a calm conclusion until Mr. Suozzi, seemingly displeased, took the opening to chide Ms. Pilip for declining invitations to numerous other debates, forums and interviews that would have shed light on her policy. views.

“Everyone is tired of George Santos; they don't want to hear about George Santos anymore,” he said. “But how can you run for Congress in this post-George Santos world and not be completely transparent?”

Ms. Pilip took offense, claiming that Democrats and the media had created a false narrative about her campaign because she was not easily pigeonholed.

“When they see a black woman, a mother and an immigrant not agreeing with the progressive agenda that you and your party are promoting, they have a problem with that,” she said.