BOTH PARTIES are seeking to put their spin on the results of this week’s special election in New York, which flipped a red seat blue and has each side tangling over whether it represents a sign of what’s to come in November.

For Democrats, Tom Suozzi‘s (D) win in New York’s 3rd District represented a rejection of the GOP over Congress’ failed border deal, which Senate Republicans blocked amid stringent Republican opposition in the House.

Republicans, meanwhile, played down the results, noting President Biden won the district in 2020. It was also most recently represented by scandal-plagued former Rep. George Santos (R), who was expelled late last year.

Suozzi on Tuesday defeated Republican candidate Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator, by around 8 percentage points in a race that heavily centered on immigration policy.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said the result was a “devastating repudiation of congressional Republicans,“ adding “Suozzi put support for the bipartisan border legislation — and congressional Republicans’ killing of it for politics — at the forefront of his case.”

Suozzi emphasized his support for the border deal as well as his record of supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when some Democrats were vocal against the agency.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), meanwhile, said Suozzi ran “like a Republican” on immigration, arguing the election was “in no way a bellwether” for other congressional races this fall.

The GOP Speaker also noted the imbalance in name recognition between Suozzi, a previous House member who ran for governor in 2022, and Pilip, who was “relatively unknown” and “had a very short runway.”

Bellwether debate aside: Suozzi’s win has a more immediate meaning, as The Hill’s Mychael Schnell noted: “The breakdown in the House once Suozzi is sworn in will be 219-213, meaning Republicans will only be able to lose two GOP lawmakers on any party-line vote with full attendance.”

MORE: 5 takeaways from Democrats’ special election victory in New York