George Santos, the controversial Republican congressman representing parts of New York City and Nassau County, will announce that he’s going to run again on Monday, despite calls for him to resign from both sides of the aisle and as investigations on a federal, state and local level persist.
According to the New York Post, a source said that Santos “called big donors and sat down with supporters and believes he can raise $500,000 to $750,000 in the second quarter of 2023.”
“If the field is crowded enough and Santos keeps running to the right, it’s possible he could skate by with a plurality,” Gavin Wax, president of the New York Young Republican Club, told the Post. “He needs to build a cult following and continue to humanize himself.”
Santos filed his FEC statement of candidacy in March, but hasn’t officially announced his run. Vanity Fair has reached out for comment.
Earlier this week, news broke that a possible Santos rival will jump in the ring. Former New York Rep. Tom Suozzi is reportedly speaking with wealthy donors and politicians (including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries) about a run for his old seat, which Santos currently holds. Suozzi was voted into office in 2016 and served until 2023, when he ran for governor of New York but lost to Kathy Hochul in the primary.
“He certainly is giving it consideration. I don’t think he’s made his mind up by any means,” New York Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs told CNBC.
A Suozzi advisor also told the outlet that “Tom has been approached by Hakeem, Jay and many others in D.C.” The advisor added, “He is open to it, but nothing is going to happen unless Santos leaves office and there is a special election, or possibly 2024.”
Santos has told a whirlwind of fabrications; perhaps most notably, he claimed that his grandparents fled Hitler, said he was a star volleyball player at Baruch College, and lied about producing the unsuccessful Spider-Man musical. Last month, prosecutors in Brazil reached a deal with Santos in a 2008 case in which Santos was accused of spending $700 at a Niterói clothing store using a stolen checkbook and a pseudonym.
The Republican representative is also facing investigations: a federal investigation into his finances as well as a House Ethics Committee investigation. The bipartisan subcommittee said it will determine whether Santos “engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said at the time the House panel investigation was announced that he would have “difficulty” supporting Santos again but added, “I think we’d have to see the election.”
After the FEC filing Santos made in March, Nassau County Republican Chairman Joseph Cairo said the controversial congressman “will not receive the Nassau GOP’s endorsement for reelection in 2024.” He added, “If he decides to run, we will oppose and beat him.”
Kelly Rissman
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