George Santos Ends Long Shot Comeback Bid For Congress After Being Expelled
George Santos ends a comeback bid for Congress to represent New York, and his excuse is, he does not want to run against Nick Lalota.
Former Rep. George Santos has called off his long-shot bid to represent New York’s 1st Congressional District, insisting that his challenge to incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota would “all but guarantee” that a Democrat would win the seat in November.
“I do not want my run to be interpreted as a retaliation against Nick Lalota… Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting records, and I continue to be critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the ticket and be held accountable for handing the house to Democrats,” Santos, who has said he is switching his party affiliation from Republican to independent, said in a statement on X.
LaLota has previously dismissed Santos but not his challenge, calling his former colleague a “embarrassment” and “one of the most bizarre people I have ever met” but stating that he would take the race “seriously.”
Santos was removed from the House in a historic vote in early December, following an internal campaign spearheaded by LaLota, and has pleaded not guilty to pending charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The former congressman’s tenure was also marred by controversy over his background, which he admitted to lying about or distorting, though he insisted that some details were simply resume embellishments.
Santos stated on Tuesday that this is not the end of his political ambitions, and his Cameo account as a digital content creator selling personalized videos is still active.
“I have [met] with leaders and with constituents and I have made the decision to hang it up here and stop perusing this race, THIS YEAR!” he said in the press release.
“The future holds countless possibilities, and I am ready, willing and able to step up to the plate and go fight for my country at any time,” he told reporters. “I plan to continue contributing to public policy discussions. I will always strive to be on the correct side of history. It’s only goodbye for now; I’ll be back.”
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