Democrats win in US special elections, Israel highlighted in campaigns

Democrats in the US states of New York and Pennsylvania won special elections on Tuesday, following campaigns featuring the war on Gaza as a significant talking point, with both of the leading candidates in New York heavily campaigning on their pro-Israel stances.

In New York's third congressional district, the race to fill the seat of disgraced one-term Congressman George Santos, who was ousted with a bipartisan vote following charges that included identity theft and wire fraud, was neck and neck until the very end.

On Tuesday evening, Democrat Tom Suozzi, who had previously held that congressional seat but lost to Santos in the last election, reclaimed his position, beating Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip, who ran as a Republican.

In his victory speech, Suozzi praised Israel, leading to criticism from some in the left wing of his party. Pilip, his opponent, led a campaign featuring her life story as an Ethiopian Jew who had immigrated to Israel and served in the country's military. Both candidates appeared to be tapping into concerns over the conflict by their suburban New York constituents, who tend to be politically centrist.

Suozzi's win changes the party breakdown in the House of Representatives to 219-213, making the Republicans' majority narrower and, therefore, more challenging to pass measures without Democratic support.

With the presidential election less than nine months away, New York's special election saw an unusual level of national attention, possibly with observers trying to see if this could predict the presidential election, with Suozzi positioning himself as a moderate Democrat.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania, considered a bellwether state for presidential elections, saw another Democratic victory on Tuesday. Their state House of Representatives retained their narrow win, thanks to a district in suburban Philadelphia trending blue in recent years. 

Donald Trump won Pennsylvania in the 2016 presidential election after it had been consistently blue for around three decades, and Biden was able to flip it back to the Democrats in 2020 narrowly.