Brett Di Resta: “The Suozzi-Pilip race is actually a good example of how research, or the lack of it, influences campaigns, even if it goes unnoticed. Mazi Pilip’s financial difficulties illustrate that point. Pilip and the GOP bragged about how three research firms combed her record and gave her a clean bill of health.”

Said Nassau Republican chairman Joe Cairo: “We know everything we need to know about Mazi.”

“However, the research from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington unearthed the fact that Pilip was embroiled in a lawsuit regarding her family’s medical practice. Later, Pilip’s financial disclosure revealed that she and her husband owed the IRS a substantial debt.”

“While these items aren’t nearly as interesting as Santos’ fake volleyball career or as lurid as his false Holocaust claims, they show that good research, or lack thereof, can undermine a candidate’s credibility.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is brushing off the GOP loss in the special election to replace former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), arguing that the race is “in no way a bellwether” for the November elections, The Hill reports.

Said Johnson: “The result last night is not something, in my view, that Democrats should celebrate too much.”

Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) trolled his former Republican colleagues — many who voted to expel him from Congress — with a simple tweet: “-1”

Donald Trump quickly distanced himself from the New York special election last night calling Mazi Pilip (R) a “very foolish woman” in a race “where she didn’t endorse me” and tried to “straddle the fence.”

He added: “She would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.”

“Tom Suozzi (D) won a special election Tuesday on Long Island, flipping a seat in Congress from the GOP and sending a signal that his party can withstand Republican attacks on immigration in swing districts far from the border,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Punchbowl News: “Democrats succeeded on Tuesday, thanks to a massive spending advantage and a disciplined Suozzi campaign. Suozzi held a plethora of public events, played up his image as a centrist member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and refused to nationalize the race.”

“In contrast, Pilip mostly hid from the media, raised little money and was largely unknown by the electorate.”

New York Times: “An Election Day snowstorm blanketed much of the district in half a foot of snow on Tuesday, with the heaviest precipitation falling through the morning. Turnout plunged, and it disproportionately hurt Republicans.”

“That is because Democrats tend to participate in early and absentee voting in greater numbers, and had banked an early lead.”

Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) has won back his old seat in the House, flipping a seat that will further narrow the House Republican majority, Decision Desk HQ projects.

The GOP’s majority is now 219 to 213 (plus 3 vacancies).

New York Times: “His victory in the Queens and Long Island district avenged a year of humiliation unleashed by the seat’s former occupant, George Santos, and stanched a trend that had seen Republicans capture nearly every major election on Long Island since 2021.”

“Polls opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday in the consequential special election to replace expelled former Rep. George Santos in the 3rd Congressional District, after eight weeks of intense campaigning by Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican-backed Mazi Pilip,” Newsday reports.

Playbook: “Be prepared for a long night. Polls on Long Island close at 9 p.m., and Nassau County is not known for its speedy tabulation of votes.”

Tom Suozzi (D) and Mazi Pilip (R) tried to get supporters to vote early ahead of a big snowstorm forecast for tomorrow, Politico reports.

CNN: New York Democrats are worried about Tuesday’s special election. They have good reason to be.

Politico: “Republicans have a three-year winning streak in the close-in suburbs east of New York City — places that rejected then-President Donald Trump in 2020 but have turned red amid concerns about crime and, more recently, immigration.”

“Next week’s special election to replace ousted Rep. George Santos will test whether they can maintain their recent stranglehold on those New York suburbs. Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi is running against Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip. Both independent and partisan polling shows the race is tight.”

“For Democrats, a win would — among other things — suggest a way to overcome ongoing Republican attacks over crime and immigration, which they concede are a major problem for their party’s image.”

A new Siena poll in New York’s 3rd congressional district finds Tom Suozzi (D) leading Mazi Pilip (R), 48% to 44% among likely voters, in the special election to replace disgraced Rep. George Santos (R).

Said pollster Don Levy: “Although these voters are special election voters – the most likely of likely voters – it is noteworthy that despite Suozzi holding a 4-point edge over Pilip, voters say that if they could vote in the 2024 Presidential election today, they give former President Donald Trump a 5-point advantage over President Joe Biden.”

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “The Democrats probably should win it, and if we felt compelled to lean the race, we’d push it ever so slightly and anxiously toward them. But it’s close enough that we’re just going to hold it, formally, as a Toss-up in our ratings.”

“Democrats are finally invoking George Santos as a bogeyman in the race to replace him — as part of a last-minute $1.25 million ad buy before next week’s bellwether special election,” Politico reports.

“The late TV ad blitz in the final days suggests some concern from Democrats about next Tuesday’s election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.”

“Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both parachuted into New York’s 3rd District in recent days. But neither did much to publicize it — a sign that both parties are wary of nationalizing the race,” Punchbowl News reports.

“When Johnson visited for a Mazi Pilip fundraiser Friday, it was behind closed doors. And when Jeffries appeared with former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) on Saturday to mark the start of early voting, the event was conspicuously absent from Suozzi’s public schedule.”

Politico: “House Majority PAC, Democrats’ top outside group focused on House races, is releasing three new ads to boost Democratic former Rep. Tom Suozzi against Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip. And one of their ads even compares her to the disgraced Santos, whose expulsion from the House triggered the special election.”

“The super PAC’s new ads aim to defend Suozzi from Republican attacks that he is weak on border security and slam Pilip on abortion rights. A third spot accuses Pilip of ethics issues and compares her to Santos. The new buy will run from Tuesday through the election.”

“The eleventh-hour deluge is notable because Democrats already have a massive financial advantage in the race.”

“A top GOP super PAC is dumping even more money into the special election to replace ex-Rep. George Santos, and once again they are doubling down on an immigration-centric attack,” Politico reports.

“House Republicans have a crucial special election just weeks away that could buoy their hopes of keeping their narrow majority. But they aren’t acting like it when it comes to television ads,” Politico reports.

“Democrats are funneling over $8 million into the airwaves to recapture the Long Island seat they lost to George Santos… Republicans have so far reserved a mere $3 million ahead of the Feb. 13 special election.”

“And the GOP is quickly running out of time to block Democrats from a victory that could power their attempt to reverse the punishing losses they suffered in New York in 2022.”