Republican George Santos flips Democratic House seat in New York

Post Content

New York Republican George Santos flipped New York’s 3rd Congressional district Wednesday and secured another House seat for the GOP.

Santos defeated Democratic Robert Zimmerman, who was vying to fill the Long Island seat after Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi announced he would be retiring to take a stab at New York governor.

Suozzi came in a distant third in the Democratic primaries in the governor’s race, but Santos secured his place in Congress by running on cutting taxes, boosting border security and rallying against cashless bail.

Republican candidate for New York’s 3rd Congressional District George Santos campaigns outside a Stop and Shop store, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Glen Cove, New York.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS: LIVE UPDATES

The Associated Press called the race shortly after 1:30 a.m. once the Republican held a lead of 54.2% of the vote over Zimmerman’s 45.8%, with 90% of the votes already counted.

The Santos-Zimmerman race was the first time two openly gay men ran against each other in a congressional election.

Santos took to Twitter to champion his success and said, “We did it! NY03 has spoken!”

“I promised one thing throughout this entire campaign: to be your champion in DC,” he added. “Thank you for this opportunity to be your voice.”

Republicans have looked to pick up seats anywhere they can in the House in what some said would be a “red wave” in the lead up to the elections.

Robert Zimmerman, Democratic candidate for New York’s 3rd Congressional District, holds a news conference with a bipartisan group of current or former elected officials who support his campaign, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Great Neck, New York.
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)

NEW YORK GOVERNOR RACE: HOCHUL BEATS ZELDIN IN ELECTION TO LEAD EMPIRE STATE

First lady Jill Biden stomped for Zimmerman in the Long Island district, but her presence does not appear to have rallied support for the Democratic candidate.

Santos leaned heavily on opposing cashless bail – a controversial Democratic policy that Republicans argue is weak on crime.

The New York policy eliminates money bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies and allows those accused to either be freed while their case plays out in the courts, or they are monitored with an electronic system, according to New York Civil Liberties Union.

Republican candidate for New York’s 3rd Congressional District George Santos, right, talks to a voter while campaigning outside a Stop and Shop store, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Glen Cove, New York.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Santos argued the policy “allows dangerous criminals to roam our cities and streets.”

“Criminals must be held accountable for their actions. Democrats in New York and across the country are putting criminals above law-abiding citizens,” he claimed according to the New York Post. “Our community is becoming more and more dangerous at the hands of Democrat leadership.”

Related articles

You may also be interested in

Headline

Never Miss A Story

Get our Weekly recap with the latest news, articles and resources.
Cookie policy

We use our own and third party cookies to allow us to understand how the site is used and to support our marketing campaigns.