The story of the past week in immigration is the fact Republicans don’t want to solve the border “crisis,” because they want to run on it. And now, if Tuesday’s special election for New York’s 3rd District is any indication, it looks like voters are finally clueing in to how Republicans are refusing to actually tackle issues of governing.
Bash: I was in the district, I heard from voters. Voters told me they voted Democratic because Republicans sabotaged the bipartisan deal to secure the border pic.twitter.com/o79TD6m0dt
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) February 14, 2024
The district’s newly elected Democrat, Tom Suozzi, definitely benefited from timing. The election was held days after Senate Republicans—goaded along by the MAGA House conference—rejected what is arguably the most conservative border and immigration policy bill in a generation, on the orders of Donald Trump.
It was a gift for Suozzi, and he ran with it, including hijacking his opponent’s press event at a Queens migrant shelter and making the point that she was trying to exploit the issue. Suozzi blamed Republicans for “political game-playing” on immigration and hammered on it in his victory speech. “Stop running around for Trump and start running the country,” Suozzi told Republicans.
This is the playbook for Democrats to go on offense on immigration.