Luntz, GOP Pollster, Calls N.Y. Special Election a ‘Decisive Wake-Up Call’

GOP pollster Frank Luntz cautioned House Republicans that the outcome of Tuesday’s special election in New York was a wake-up call for the party after Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi regained his former seat.

“Democrats just flipped George Santos’ #NY03 House seat,” Luntz said in a post on X. “Tonight is the final wakeup call for the @HouseGOP. If they ignore or attempt to explain away why they lost, they will lose in November as well.”

“The issue agenda is on their side,” he added. “Their congressional behavior is not.”

According to Ballotpedia, Suozzi defeated Republican challenger Mazi Pilip with nearly 54% of the vote, claiming victory in a politically mixed suburban Long Island district. The seat was vacated by former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was expelled from the House in December following a criminal indictment.

While campaigning, Suozzi reportedly emphasized his prior representation of the 3rd Congressional District and ran as a moderate who was willing to compromise to get things done. His platform expressed support for the immigration deal unveiled in the Senate last week, as well as the bipartisan deal he previously reached in 2019 with then-Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.

Suozzi had represented the 3rd Congressional District from 2017 to 2023, but did not run for reelection, opting instead to launch a bid for governor that ultimately failed, according to Ballotpedia.

The race was seen as a key bellwether heading into the November general election, as New York will be central to Democrats’ attempts to retake the House majority. Suozzi’s district is one of five in the state that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020 but then elected a Republican representative in 2022.

In a follow-up post, Luntz said that the special election’s result was not an automatic “endorsement of Biden.”

“It isn’t,” he said. “It’s a rejection of House Republican chaos. The NY-03 district hates Biden’s immigration policy and the crime wave in New York. But congressional Republicans gave voters nothing to vote for.”