Suozzi Takes Lead Over Santos In NY's 3rd Congressional District

LONG ISLAND, NY — Tom Suozzi, the Democratic congressman representing New York's 3rd Congressional District, said he took the lead over Republican challenger George Santos as more absentee ballots were counted Monday from the Nov. 3 election.

Suozzi said during a news conference Monday in Glen Cove he leads Santos by 13,000 votes after 30,000 absentee ballots — about 30 percent of the total absentees — were counted across Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties.

Suozzi is looking to stave off Santos, as well as Libertarian Howard Rabin, to maintain his House seat. Following Election Day voting, Santos led Suozzi by more than 4,000 votes. The first wave of absentee ballots yielded a 17,000-vote pickup for Suozzi, he said.

"Democrats submitted their absentee ballots, and Republicans did not submit absentee ballots because of the leadership of now-President-elect [Joe] Biden and President [Donald] Trump," Suozzi said. "Trump was discouraging people from voting by absentee ballots, and Biden was encouraging people to vote by absentee ballot."

Suozzi did not declare victory Monday. He predicted he will defeat Santos by more than 20,000 votes when all ballots have been counted.

Santos, in a statement to Patch, said the race has yet to be called, as ballots are still being counted.

"I will continue to remain cautiously optimistic while this process continues to unveil before us," he said. "Suffolk, which we won by six points, starts counting their absentee ballots [on Monday]. I thereby want to make sure each and every resident of the 3rd Congressional District knows one thing, I came from nothing, and I remain nothing but a vessel that looks to represent you all for a better life in our little corner of America."

New York's 3rd Congressional District consists of Port Washington, Great Neck, Manhasset, Roslyn Heights, East Hills, Sea Cliff, Glen Cove, Oyster Bay, Syosset, Jericho, Hicksville, Plainview, Bethpage, Melville, Huntington, Northport, Kings Park, Commack, Little Neck, Glen Oaks and Whitestone.