By Mark Gray
6:13am PDT, Mar 12, 2024
_
Chalk one up for Team Blue. On Feb. 13, Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election in New York's Nassau County, flipping a seat that had been under Republican control and cutting into the GOP's already razor-thin House majority.
The seat had been occupied by George Santos before his ouster for alleged financial crimes last December, marking just the sixth time in U.S. history that a sitting member of the House of Representatives was expelled.
"The way to make our country a better place is to try and find common ground. It is not easy to do. It is hard to do," the newly elected Congressman told supporters on election night. "It's time to start working together. So our message is very clear. Either get on board or get out of the way."
Click through to see how celebrities and politicians are reacting to Democrats' big night…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
_
"Republicans just don't learn, but maybe she was still a Democrat? I have an almost 99% Endorsement Success Rate in Primaries, and a very good number in the General Elections, as well, but just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn't endorse me and tried to 'straddle the fence,' when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.
"MAGA, WHICH IS MOST OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, STAYED HOME — AND IT ALWAYS WILL, UNLESS IT IS TREATED WITH THE RESPECT THAT IT DESERVES. I STAYED OUT OF THE RACE, 'I WANT TO BE LOVED!' GIVE US A REAL CANDIDATE IN THE DISTRICT FOR NOVEMBER. SUOZZI, I KNOW HIM WELL, CAN BE EASILY BEATEN!" —Donald Trump
MORE: Disgraced politician George Santos delivers message to Congress after history-making ouster: Lawmakers and stars react
_
"Congratulations @Tom_Suozzi on a big victory for New York and our democracy! One down. Four to go. Extreme MAGA Republicans, do the right thing. The country is watching." —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
_
"The result last night, in my mind, is not something that Democrats should celebrate too much. Think about what happened. They spent about $15 million to win a seat that President Biden won by eight points. They won it by less than eight points. Their candidate ran like a Republican. He sounded like a Republican, talking about the border and immigration… He had a 100% name ID and a family history in the district. Our candidate was relatively unknown in that comparison and had a very short runway. There was a weather event that affected turnout there. That is in no way a bellwether of what's going to happen this fall." —House Speaker Mike Johnson
_
"Congratulations and welcome back to Congress, @Tom_Suozzi! I know Long Island is grateful to have your steady leadership once again." —Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
_
"#Democrat flips George Santos' seat! That's right! #TomSuozzi Carries Nassau County NY!!" —Bette Midler
_
"[Tom] Suozzi, instead of lying… What did he do? He said, 'I'd better [go] against my party on the border' and he did it — paid advertising, mailers, press conferences, public appeals — so he has shown the Democrats how to run on the border." —Kellyanne Conway on Fox News
_
"Suozzi messaged aggressively on the [immigration] issue, running ads that highlighted his support for a secure border and legal pathways to citizenship. He flipped the script on his Republican opponent, successfully painting her as unserious about border security because of her opposition to the bipartisan border bill, and turned what could have been a devastating political liability into an advantage.
"Republicans can't claim that the border is in crisis and then vote against the bipartisan bill, written by their own leadership, that would fix the problem. But their abandonment of the bill they requested presents Democrats with an opening to flip the narrative on the border. We can talk about our belief in a strong border and strong legal immigration, contrasted with Republicans' view of the border as a simple political tool to help spread hateful, xenophobic messages about immigrants.
"Quite simply, we risk losing the 2024 election if we do not seize this opportunity to go on offense on the issue of the border and turn the tables on Republicans on a key fall voting issue." –Sen. Chris Murphy via NBC
_
"Congratulations to @Tom_Suozzi for a commanding win in #NY03! The district represented by the person purportedly known as George Santos will now have a sane, awesome Representative. I've said it before and will say it again. Dems will flip the House, and it will not be close." —Rep. Ted Lieu
_
"Just like we drew it up." —Rep. Daniel Goldman
_
"This result shows that when @nydems stand united and fight for our shared values, we win." —New York Governor Kathy Hochul
_
"Congrats to @Tom_Suozzi on a big win in NY-03 tonight. Glad you're coming back to Congress!" –Rep. Dean Phillips
_
"Congratulations to @Tom_Suozzi on an important special election win for NY District 3 congressional seat. This is just the beginning for democrats as we head to the 2024 general election!" —Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former attorney
_
"So who still thinks Republicans helping Democrats kick out Santos was a good idea?" —Rep. Mike Collins
_
"Republicans are losing because of one self-inflicted Trump wound after another. This is just the latest chapter and verse of that." —"Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough
_
"Trump helped elect Suozzi by telling Republicans not to vote for the Senate immigration bill. This is what happens when an entire party is tied to one guy's whims (especially when that guy is Donald Trump). And thank you to the NY-03 voters." –former senator and "Saturday Night Live" star Al Franken
