5 Takeaways (Including Trump's) on Suozzi's Win in NY

A Democrat has taken back disgraced former Congressman George Santos' Long Island seat—and among those weighing in on Tom Suozzi's win Tuesday was former (and possibly future) President Trump. "Just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn't endorse me and tried to 'straddle the fence,' when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America," Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday night, referencing Suozzi's Republican opponent in the special election in New York's 3rd Congressional District, per Fox News. Trump then pleaded for a "real candidate in the district for November" (Suozzi has to run in the general election to keep his seat), and noted of Suozzi, in all caps: "I know him well, can be easily beaten." Other takeaways on Suozzi's victory:

• Narrower GOP margin: ABC News points out the most obvious outcome of Tuesday's race, which is that Suozzi's win brings the seat count in the House to 219-213 in the GOP's favor. That means Republicans can only lose two of their own during voting if everyone is present and all Dems vote the opposite way.
• Cash crush: "Money matters," notes Politico, reporting that Dems "vastly outspent" Republicans in this race on campaign ads, to the tune of $14 million to the GOP's $8.3 million. One Dem super PAC dropped $6 million alone.
• Immigration and abortion: Those are the two issues that NPR singles out as giving Suozzi a boost, with the GOP pounding Suozzi especially on the former. Still, "Democrats showed they can defend themselves on this issue—by tacking to the middle," the outlet notes about Suozzi's push for bipartisanship on the border.
• A bellwether for November? Not necessarily, notes CNN, which points out that "Suozzi was a unique—and uniquely talented—candidate with deep ties across Nassau County, where most of the voters reside." Plus, Pilip wasn't a household name on Long Island (Suozzi has served as the mayor of Glen Cove and Nassau's county executive, and is a past congressman), and she "made precious few public appearances, held a handful of notable events outside the district, and seemed unsure of how to position herself in relation to Trump."

(More Thomas Suozzi stories.)