In the race to reclaim the congressional seat in New York’s third district, previously held by Republican George Santos, Democrats are significantly outpacing Republicans in advertising spending, according to a report by Politico on Thursday.
The special election for New York’s third congressional district is scheduled for February 13. According to AdImpact data cited by Politico, Democrats have spent a substantial $8.9 million on advertising efforts, while Republicans have allocated only $3.3 million. The contest features former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi against Republican Nassau County legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces.
Suozzi, who previously held the seat from 2017 to 2023, enjoys better name recognition in the district, giving him an advantage. The Democrats have framed their attack ads on Pilip as representative of the “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) movement.
AdImpact data highlighted that both the House Majority PAC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) have each spent over $3.7 million. DCCC spokesperson Ellie Dougherty criticized House Republicans for being preoccupied with other issues, stating, “House Republicans appear too busy risking a government shutdown, launching sham impeachments and ripping away women’s reproductive freedom to send help.”
Suozzi’s campaign has also independently invested over $1 million in advertising efforts, contributing to the overall spending gap. On the Republican side, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has invested over $800,000 in ads starting in mid-January for Pilip. The Congressional Leadership Fund, associated with the Republican party, has spent $1.5 million on an ad buy for Pilip, scheduled to run until the end of January. Republican ads have focused on criticizing Suozzi’s immigration record, accusing him of contributing to the “immigration crisis,” a significant concern for voters in the district.
Former Congressman George Santos, who previously held the seat, was expelled from Congress in December following a House Ethics Committee report that found he “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”
Responses from the Pilip campaign, Suozzi campaign, and NRCC were not immediately available in response to inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
