Democrat Tom Suozzi defeated Republican candidate Mazi Melesa Pilip in a February 13 special election to replace disgraced Republican George Santos in New York’s 3rd Congressional District covering part of eastern Queens and much of Nassau County. Suozzi received about 54% of the vote to 46% for Pilip. However, in some communities the vote for Pilip was overwhelming. In Kings Point and Saddle Rock, she received almost 90% of the vote. She was supported by two-thirds of the voters in Massapequa, North Massapequa, and Massapequa Park, and narrower majorities in Levittown, Plainedge, Bethpage, and South Farmingdale.
The question is why anyone voted for Pilip, a paper resume candidate with no experience and few clear positions who was selected to run by Republican County officials despite the fact that she was actually registered to vote as a Democrat.
Federal census data gives some clue to voting patterns on Long Island.
According to the most recently available federal census, the population of Kings Point is 5,619, 92% white; the population of Saddle Rock is 989, 90% white; the population of Massapequa is 22,652, 97% white; the population of North Massapequa is 19,152, 97% white; the population Massapequa Park is 17,008, 97% white; the population of Levittown is 51,881, 90% white; the population of Plainedge is 8,817, 92% white; the population of Bethpage is 16,429 , 90% white; and the population of South Farmingdale is 14,345, 90% white.
The Republican candidate Pilip, who ironically was born in Ethiopia and is not white, dominated voting in overwhelmingly white communities that keep voting Republican. I’m really worried about white people.