Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi’s victory in a suburban New York district on Tuesday night could provide national Democrats with a road map heading into the November election. 

Suozzi, who easily defeated Republican opponent Mazi Pilip to replace expelled former Republican Rep. George Santos, made immigration a centerpiece of his campaign, going on the offensive on the thorny issue that has been vexing Democrats and President Joe Biden.

As illegal border crossings reached record levels in December and a surge of immigrants flooded into New York, Suozzi flipped the narrative, blaming Republicans for playing political games after they rejected a bipartisan immigration deal in recent days, which the New York Democrat has said he would support.

Throughout his campaign, Suozzi advocated tougher border policy and often spoke about closing the U.S.-Mexico border to slow the influx of immigrants. He also took his opponent head-on, rushing to a migrant shelter in Queens to hold a press conference in response to statements from Pilip that linked him to the nation’s border crisis.