Santos Declared Winner In Bayside Congressional Race: AP

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Republican candidate George Santos beat Democrat Robert Zimmerman in the race to represent Bayside in the U.S. Congress, the Associated Press declared early Wednesday morning.

The formerly blue District 3 flipped with the defeat of Democrat George Zimmerman in a race that, for the first time ever, pitted two open members of the LGBTQ+ community against one another.

For much of Tuesday night, the race to replace U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi and represent parts of Bayside, Great Neck and Long Island remained close.

But with 92 percent of ballots counted, Santos claimed 54.2 percent of the vote (142,017 total) while Zimmerman won only 45.8 percent (120,060), according to NY1's tally.

Zimmerman, a marketing communications company owner, has said he would “defend abortion rights, stop gun violence, protect voting rights, address the climate crisis, and make Long Island and Queens more affordable for middle-class families” if elected.

Santos, an investor who attended the Jan. 6 rally, says he'll work to repeal the bail reform, introduce a bill that would change the tax code to a flat tax rate, and secure funding for the electric grid.

Read more about Bayside's races here.