Democrat Tom Suozzi’s Tuesday victory in the special election to fill the vacant New York House seat left by former Republican Rep. George Santos was underscored by a massive influx of outside cash supporting his campaign, according to Federal Election Commission(FEC) records.
Outside groups spent over $3.4 million on operations supporting Suozzi and more than $9.5 million opposing Mazi Pilip, the Republican he was running against, a Daily Caller News Foundation review of FEC records shows. Spending was comparatively light on the other side, with just over $600,000 in independent expenditures from groups supporting Pilip and $2.9 million in spending opposing Suozzi.
In total, outside groups spent about $13 million on activities benefiting Suozzi, compared to just $3.6 million on operations benefitting Pilip.
Outside spending in New York’s third congressional district paid for things like digital advertising, mailers, get-out-the-vote efforts, door-to-door canvassing and consulting, among other things.
A diverse coalition of left-of-center organizations spent big to help get Suozzi elected. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the primary political committee dedicated to electing Democrats to the House, spent about $3.3 million opposing Pilip.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the DCCC’s conservative counterpart, spent just over $917,000 opposing Suozzi.
Groups affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and the League of Conservation Voters, as well as other committees dedicated to electing Democrats, poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the effort to elect Suozzi.
New York’s third congressional district was previously represented by Santos. House Democrats, joined by a handful of Republicans, voted to expel Santos from the chamber in December, thus vacating the seat.
Republicans’ financial disadvantages aren’t isolated to one congressional district on Long Island. The Republican parties of Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, six key states, were all outraised and outspent by their Democratic counterparts in 2023.
The Democratic National Committee also raised significantly more than the Republican National Committee, taking in nearly $120 million, while its Republican rival brought in approximately $87.2 million.
Democrats also outraised Republicans in every competitive Senate race except for Pennsylvania in the final quarter of 2023, Roll Call reported. In the Pennsylvania race, however, the Democratic incumbent still had significantly more cash in their war chest. President Joe Biden has also repeatedly outraised former President Donald Trump.
Suozzi defeated Pilip by garnering 53.9% of the vote, The Associated Press reported.
The Suozzi and Pilip campaigns did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Robert Schmad on February 14, 2024
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