Republican George Santos. The good things we can say about him can fit on the tip of a needle. He was an ethical nightmare that lied about his education and employment history (among other things) and duped NY voters. It’s no wonder he was the first Republican to ever be expelled from Congress. You know it’s bad when the Republicans want to oust someone from their own party, even at the high risk of having the seat overturned, which is exactly what happened.

Yesterday, Democratic U.S. House candidate Tom Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip 53.9% to 46.1% in a Special Election to replace Santos.

Republicans ran on the immigration platform in Pro-MAGA style, continuing to bus immigrants from the southern border to New York, specifically in Santos' district.

They took advantage of the border crisis to manufacture a crisis of their own. Immigrants can be seen in tent cities, and Pilip held televised rallies near them to sway public opinion. It seems clear that the smart NY voters saw what Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbot were doing, even though Biden has only a 29% approval rating on his handling of the border security issue and NY Mayor Eric Adams has criticized the Biden administration over it. Overall, the Republican tactic backfired.

The bigger issue seemed to focus on abortion and reproductive choice. So long as Republicans take such a hard line stance against choice, they’re not in favor with most Americans. Pilip was not only pro-life, but very strict. She held the value to ban abortion, even in the event of rape or incest. Many red states are cracking down on how long you can be before getting an abortion (8 weeks or less), which is often times before a woman even knows they’re pregnant. Some are even going so far as to try to prohibit women from traveling to another state to seen an abortion, threatening imprisonment. It’s seen by some as protecting a life, but by many as extreme restrictions of freedom.

In Bucks County Pennsylvania, State Representative Jim Prokopiak helped Democrats hold onto the State Senate with his victory. He also ran on a Pro-Choice platform and had this to say:

"What I heard from voters is that Bucks County residents need help supporting their families, want control over their own bodies, and ensure they have the ability to chart their own paths in life."

We can certainly see why this election was so important. In a time where we’re hearing so much about Trump, and with Biden’s approval rating falling, it seems inevitable that Trump will win the 2024 election. But this result shows that Americans know it’s about much more than who sits on top. It’s about the issues and American values. It’s about right and wrong. It’s about you controlling the government, not about the government controlling you. And most importantly, it shows that Democrats are getting out there to vote, not just staying home feeling defeated by the loud mouthed Trumpetts and Let’s Go Brandon yellers. It’s saying that we may be quiet for now, but after the RNC and DNC conventions are over, LET’S GO BIDEN! and LOCK HIM UP! will be the chants ringing in everyone’s ears.