Polls close in neck-and-neck race to replace disgraced George Santos: live updates

With nine per cent of votes counted, Democrat Tom Suozzi has taken an early lead.

Mr Suozzi has 63 per cent of the vote, with 37 per cent for Republican Mazi Pilip.

Most of the early votes have come from the Democratic stronghold in Queens, according to CNN’s data guru John King.

Polls have now closed in New York’s 3rd special election — and the wait for results now begins.

Election day vote has been low due to the heavy snow in Queens and Long Island today, and GOP candidate Mazi Pilip will have to make up a big deficit.

Around 80,000 people cast their ballots early, and polling data showed that 46 per cent were Democrats, and 32 per cent Republican, probably giving Democrat Tom Suozzi a sizable advantage.

As we await the results to start coming in, here’s a recap of the issues and the personalities involved in today’s special election in New York’s 3rd.

Polls will close in New York’s 3rd special election in just over half an hour, but is’s unclear when we’ll have a decisive result.

Voters were forced to brave a major snowstorm to make it to polling stations, and turnout is expected to be low.

Both candidates offered ride-share vouchers to get their supporters to the polls, while a Republican Super Pac paid for snow plows to clear roads in favourable precincts.

In a sign of how crucial tonight’s special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional district could be, the House has voted to impeach Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote tonight.

The second attempt to impeach Mr Mayorkas succeeded by 214-213. Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the articles of impeachment: Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Tom McClintock of California.

Read the full story here.

New York’s 3rd Congressional district is the fourth richest in the country, and comprises many wealthy hamlets across northern Long Island.

Political observers have stated that Tuesday’s special election could provide clues to how suburban voters might go for in November’s general election.

But not everyone is convinced that NY03 will have broader implications beyond Long Island.

“My sense is that there are a number of candidate-specific issues and some local context that would make this a tough case from which to conclude much about national trends, despite the fact that congressional elections have become more ‘national’ in recent years,” Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher told The Independent in a statement.

“Among those candidate and local issues are the fact that Suozzi is a very well-known figure, and has a record as a county executive, and further, has staked out a more moderate place within the Democratic Party.

“And then, as you note, there’s the Republican baggage of Santos. The 2022 Democratic congressional candidates were weighed down by an association with the governor and the state Democratic Party, and concerns about crime and safety — whether that carries through to this election is another factor. So there are a lot of moving parts beyond general national party politics,” he said.

A Republican Super Pac reportedly hired snow plows to clear the roads near polling stations in New York’s 3rd district earlier today.

Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman wrote on X that Congressional Leadership Fund hired snow plow companies to encourage voter turnout after a blizzard hit on Tuesday morning.

The latest release from the NYC Board of Elections shows that voters are turning out in greater numbers as the evening progresses, after a very slow morning at polling stations due to heavy snow on Long Island.

There are still two hours until the polls close, and data analyst Michael Pruser believes that the final tally will reach around 50 per cent of the total votes cast in 2022 when George Santos won the seat.

The low turnout is likely to help Democrat Tom Suozzi, after he racked up a sizable lead in early voting.

While we await the results of the New York 3rd special election, my colleague John Bowden has compiled the many, many controversies of the man Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip are hoping to replace.

Voters in New York’s 3rd Congressional district will choose George Santos’ replacement in Tuesday’s special election.

Prior to his ouster from Congress in December, my colleague Richard Hall ventured deep into Santos’ district to gauge voter reaction to the scandal-plagued former Congressman.