CNN's Republican analyst Scott Jennings was criticized after he complained about people "getting your votes in" during CNN's coverage of the special election in New York's 3rd district to replace disgraced House Republican George Santos. Jennings' complaint came amid an 8-point victory for Democrat Tom Suozzi, which represented a 16-point swing from the 2022 result that initially sent Santos to Congress.
Suozzi's triumph signifies his return to Washington, having previously served three terms representing the district before an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2022. The duration of his upcoming tenure on Capitol Hill remains uncertain, given the ongoing redistricting process that might reshape the district.
Nonetheless, the current outcome trims the already paper-thin Republican majority in the House, offering Democrats a crucial victory in New York City's Queens and Long Island suburbs. The GOP had made inroads in suburban areas of New York, which made Suozzi's win significant for the Democratic Party as they look ahead to November.
Considering Suozzi's strong performance last night, Jennings was displeased with...well...democracy :
"Something about election mechanics that's bothering me as a Republican: voting early, voting by mail, ballot harvesting, getting your votes in."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Republicans have railed against early voting and vote-by-mail procedures in recent years, spurred by former President Donald Trump's lies that they helped Democrats "steal" the 2020 general election.
Research shows early voting greatly increases voter turnout and a study from Stanford University’s Democracy and Polarization Lab published in April 2020 found that contrary to the widely-held belief among the GOP that vote-by-mail gives Democrats an advantage over Republicans, vote-by-mail options do not benefit one party more than another. Unless, of course, Republicans don't use those options.
But an angry Trump fueled conspiracies around voting procedures that have led to the disparity that currently exists with the early and absentee vote being dominated by Democrats and the same day vote by Republicans.
Jennings was harshly criticized.
In the near term, once he's sworn in, Suozzi's victory reduces the Republicans' slim majority to just 219-213.
Both Democrats and Republicans will have another opportunity to compete for the congressional seat in the upcoming November general election, although the dynamics of the battleground may undergo changes.
This shift is anticipated due to an impending redrawing of the state's congressional districts mandated by a court order in the next few months. Given the Democratic dominance in state government, expectations are high that Democrats will aim to create more favorable district lines for their candidates. If Democrats can win back just a few of the suburban districts that flipped to Republicans in the 2022 midterms, that alone can deliver a House majority back to the Democrats.
