U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) leaves the Capitol Hill Club on January 31, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
Rep. George Santos, the freshman Republican lawmaker from Recent York whose transient time in office has been draped in scandal, announced Monday he’ll seek reelection in 2024.
The embattled congressman will seek a second term after he admitted to lying about key details of his background as a candidate, one among a laundry list of controversies which have spurred some in Santos’ own party to call for him to resign.
A press release shared Monday afternoon on Santos’ Twitter page didn’t acknowledge his tumultuous start in Congress. It as a substitute portrayed him as a “dependable conservative vote” and noted he’s the primary openly gay Republican elected to the House.
“Good is not ok, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done,” Santos said in an announcement released by his campaign. “I’m proud to announce my candidacy to run for re-election and proceed to serve the people of NY-3.”
Santos has shrugged off the bipartisan calls for him to provide up his seat. He has insisted the voters of his Queens and Long Island-area congressional district must be those to make your mind up whether he stays or goes. GOP leaders within the House, who hold a slim majority, even have not pushed him to step down.
Some polls have found that voters in Santos’ district view him overwhelmingly unfavorably across party lines.
The freshman lawmaker also has little money in his campaign war chest. It had just over $25,000 in money as of the top of March, in response to essentially the most recent campaign finance filing.
Santos himself loaned hefty sums to his campaign to fuel his winning bid for Congress last yr. Those loans, and his spending on the campaign trail, have each come under mounting scrutiny after a bombshell Recent York Times report in December forged doubt on his resume.
Before being sworn into office in early January, Santos admitted that he had “embellished” his education credentials and his work experience. He has denied committing any crimes.
Santos is under scrutiny by local prosecutors in Nassau County, the House Committee on Ethics and other investigative bodies on a spread of various allegations.
Meanwhile, Democrats are gearing up their efforts to retake the seat they lost to Santos within the November elections.
A Democratic PAC is spending $45 million in Recent York state alone for the 2024 cycle, focusing intently on Santos’ district and a half-dozen others because the party works to regain majority control of the chamber.
CNBC reported last week that Santos may soon face his first Democratic challenger: former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who previously represented the district.
That is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
