Former New York Rep. George Santos announced that he was dropping out of his bid to return to Congress, saying he didn’t want to siphon off Republican votes by running as an independent.
Santos was expelled from the House in December, ending a short and scandal-ridden time as the representative for New York’s third district.
He was just the sixth member of Congress to be expelled in the House’s history.
As a Congressman-elect, multiple reports emerged of Santos fabricating aspects of his personal biography, including a claim to be Jewish and details in his education and employment background.
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Even so, the disgraced politician announced his intention to run again — this time in New York’s first congressional district — during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address earlier this year.
A couple of weeks later, Santos ditched the GOP, saying he would be running as an independent.
But on Tuesday, Santos posted on X saying that he was suspending his campaign, writing: “Staying in this race all but guarantees a victory for the Dems in the race.”
While criticizing the voting record of Republican candidate Nick Lalota, he said: “I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems.”
As of the end of March, Lalota’s campaign reported around $1.5 million in contributions for 2024.
Santos, who has maintained a gadfly status since being ousted from office, said he would continue to contribute to discussions on public policy and suggested his political ambitions are not over.
“It’s only goodbye for now, I’ll be back,” he wrote.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to 23 fraud-related charges made in October, in which he is accused of identity theft, stealing donors’ credit card details, and lying to the FEC. He is currently awaiting trial.