What to know about New York's closely watched House race

New York's 3rd Congressional District is hosting the first closely watched contest of 2024, with political experts saying that the results of Tuesday's special election could offer some early signs of how swing-seat suburban voters are feeling as the presidential race begins to ramp up.

Former Rep. Tom Suozzi, a well-known Democrat in the area who used to represent the district before leaving for a failed gubernatorial bid in 2022, is facing Republican Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator with a smaller profile.

The race, which has attracted millions of dollars and major New York politicians, is playing out on Long Island, a key battleground for House control later this year and a barometer, experts said, for messaging on crime, immigration and more.

Tuesday's special election was triggered by disgraced Republican Rep. George Santos' expulsion in December.

There wasn't a primary, and Suozzi and Pilip were both essentially handpicked by their respective parties to run for the seat.

Suozzi, a former three-term representative, mayor and county executive, boasts broad name recognition in the district — an asset for him as he seeks to run on his own brand rather than that of a national party led by an unpopular president.

Pilip, meanwhile, is an Ethiopian-born Jew who served in Israel's military, a high-profile resume given the current war against Hamas in Gaza. While a current officeholder herself, she cuts a lower profile than Suozzi and has made less campaign stops than him.

Suozzi has sought to distance himself from President Joe Biden, who has long been grappling with poor approval ratings nationwide. He's especially cast himself as tough on illegal immigration, fighting back against attacks from Pilip that he supports more