The numbers behind the big New York special election

The biggest special election of the cycle is finally here.

Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Pilip are facing off in the race for New York’s 3rd Congressional District Tuesday, which encompasses parts of Queens and Long Island. The election to replace George Santos may not tell us everything we want to know about the rest of 2024’s competitive elections, but it will set the tone for both parties as they battle for control of the House.

Regardless of the winner tonight, voters in the district aren’t going to get much reprieve from the campaigning. The district will likely be competitive in November — and after all, there are only 133 days until the state’s June primary.

Polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern, and you can keep up with the results here. In the meantime, here are five numbers to know ahead of today’s election.

$22 million

That’s how much money has been put into ads for the election, according to ad tracker AdImpact. The high-dollar investment is indicative of both the high stakes of the race, and the expensive media market the campaigns are dealing with. Democrats vastly outspent Republicans, putting in $13.8 million to the GOP’s $8.1 million.

House Majority PAC, House Democrats’ main outside group, contributed the most: $6 million. Its Republican counterpart, the Congressional Leadership Fund, spent $4.3 million. Suozzi and the DCCC each spent around $3.9 million, and had a $94,000 coordinated buy. Meanwhile, the NRCC placed around $1 million and Pilip spent a little over $300,000; the committee and Pilip also spent $1.4 million on coordinated buys. Secure New York State PAC, a Republican group, put close to $1.1 million into the airwaves.

80,000 voters

That’s around how many people voted in