Could how Democrat Tom Suozzi campaigned on immigration help his party win nationally?

After former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi won the special election in New York's 3rd Congressional District this week by campaigning on more border security, other Democrats are saying the takeaway message is that their party needs to go «on the offense» on immigration.

The issue was a flashpoint of the special election, especially as migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border reached a record high of 302,000 in December and apprehensions hit a historic peak of 2.2 million in fiscal year 2022. Over 100,000 migrants have been transported to Democrat-led cities like Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

Some point to other factors that helped Suozzi — such as his name recognition in the district — but say his win still might offer a playbook for the path forward for Democrats on an issue the party has struggled with.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., appearing on a press briefing Wednesday with Democratic strategists, called Suozzi's victory «a sign that the best defense is a strong offense … speaking right in front of it directly through the center and talking about not just border security, but opening up pathways to legal migration … is an argument that the American people will embrace,» Espaillat said.

Facing attacks from his opponent Mazi Pilip over what she called Democrats' failed border policies, Suozzi stressed during his campaign that he supported both tightening immigration laws and finding a bipartisan compromise, including supporting a failed deal recently announced in the Senate.

«With immigration, with me, it's about pushing for a bipartisan compromise that'll will actually address the problem we face of closing the border, trying to stem the tide of what's happening, and [to] treat people like human