Santos launches re-election bid
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Embattled Long Island and Queens Congressman George Santos announced on Monday that he would be running for re-election in 2024. AP/Andrew Harnick
By Ryan Schwach
Embattled Congressman George Santos announced on Monday that he would be seeking another term to represent Long Island and Queens in Washington amid a cacophony of calls for his resignation after he reportedly lied about vast swaths of his personal, political and professional past.
Santos, who took office at the beginning of this year, has spent a large portion of his time in the House of Representatives defending himself against the calls for resignation and the onslaught of new accusations about his falsified past that, at one point, appeared to be rolling in on a daily basis.
“I’ve been in office for 100 days, and through legislation and my votes, I’ve already made significant efforts to honor those promises [I made on the campaign trail],” Santos said in a statement.
Santos has been the prime sponsor of four pieces of legislation in the House during the four months he’s been in office. None of them have passed.
Just before taking office, Santos was accused of falsifying a number of aspects of his resume, which he pushed to be elected in November 2022.
The alleged lies included his cultural background as a Jew, his mother being at the World Trade Center during September 11, where he attended school, where he worked and the legitimacy of his pet charity.
Although he has admitted to some of the fabrications, others he has stood by, and he has rejected all calls for resignation, some of which have come from his own party.
Until recently, Santos was also under investigation by the Brazilian government for fraud, but a deal was reached in March, which did require Santos confess to the crime.
Getting re-elected to the New York 3rd Congressional District, which included parts of Queens, will definitely not be easy for the controversial congressman.
Funding will be an issue, as well as support, since a January Sienna poll reported that 78 percent of his current constituents believe he should resign.
There are also a few of those constituents who are already planning to run against him, including veteran and former J.P Morgan employee Kellen Curry, who will look to challenge Santos in the Republican primary.
“I’m running to return honesty and integrity back to our congressional representation,” Curry said in a recent campaign video.
On the Democratic side, Robert Zimmerman, who lost to Santos in 2022, may consider another run. Also, Josh Lafazan from Syosset, who also ran in 2022, has already filed to run.
Santos’ predecessor, former Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Tom Suozzi, is reportedly considering coming out of retirement in order to run again for his congressional seat, which he represented from 2017 until 2023.
“Good isn't good enough,” Santos said in his statement announcing his re-election campaign. “I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done.”
