Long Island Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi defeats Trump-backed Michael LiPetri in rematch
Democratic Rep.Tom Suozzi declared victory late Tuesday after again holding off Republican Michael LiPetri in a rematch for New York’s 3rd House District covering parts of Nassau and Queens.“I have good news and bad news.
Bad news — we’re not getting $5,000 checks,” Suozzi said at his watch party in Nassau County, jibing at President Trump’s campaign trail promise to send voters cash if the GOP won big in the midterms.“Good news — democracy works,” Suozzi continued to applause from the crowd.“They threw everything they could at us, and we kicked their ass.”Early returns had Suozzi leading LiPetri by 16 percentage points — 58% to 42% — in both the Nassau and Queens portions of the district.
NBC News called the race for Suozzi minutes before 11 p.m.Follow for live updates on the 2026 Midterm ElectionsSuozzi defeated LiPetri, a former state Assembly member, by only 3-percentage points in the November 2024 election — a result much closer than pundits and pollsters predicted.The Republican Party did not invest heavily in the 2024 contest, but Trump carried the district during the presidential race, likely helping LiPetri’s surprisingly strong showing.But Trump-allied PACs and the GOP pumped more than $10 million to aid LiPetri and defeat Suozzi this fall, perhaps believing the Republican running at the top of the ticket for governor, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, would carry the district and boost LiPetri.The White House for months targeted Suozzi for defeat.Vice President JD Vance visited the district for an official event in June and attacked Suozzi and talked up LiPetri.It was a hard-fought race.During a feisty News 12 debate, LiPetri claimed Suozzi was a typical Democrat who voted against bills that helped his constituents, such as raising the federal cap to claim deductions on state and local taxes.Suozzi claimed the GOP-crafted legislation included other “poison pills” harmful to his constituents, such as reduced spend...