House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is dismissing his party’s loss in a special election on Tuesday, insisting that the result is “in no way a bellwether” for the November elections.
Republicans already narrow majority in the House shrunk further after Democrat, former Rep Tom Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip in the special election in NY03 to replace expelled Rep. George Santos.
Suozzi had represented the district for three consecutive terms before he stepped down in 2022 to mount an unsuccessful bid for governor of New York.
Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that Suozzi’s win is not necessarily good news for Democrats because he “ran like a Republican.”
“He sounded like a Republican talking about the border and immigration, because everybody knows that’s the top issue that is on the concern, the hearts and minds of everybody,” he said. “That incumbent had been a three-term member of Congress, and he had 100% name ID and a deep family history in the district. Our candidate was relatively unknown, in that comparison, and had a very short runway.”
“You know, there was a weather event that affected turnout,” Johnson continued. “There were a lot of factors there. That is in no way a bellwether of what’s going to happen this fall.”
It should come as no surprise that Johnson said the opposite last month, writing in a fundraising email: “If we win big here, we will set the tone for conservative victories across the board in 2024 so we can defend and grow the House Majority.”
