Rep. George Santos announced Monday he is running for reelection in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, brushing aside concerns over fabricated parts of his biography and resume, and putting him on a crash course with state and local GOP leaders who want to see him gone.
Billed as a serial liar on Capitol Hill, Mr. Santos painted a different picture in his announcement. The 34-year-old cast himself as the embodiment of the American dream and a political maverick with the backbone needed to take the fight to the Washington establishment, including his own party when necessary.
“I am proudly announcing my bid for re-election for #NY03,” Mr. Santos said on Twitter. “This is about TAKING BACK our country and restoring greatness back to New York.”
Mr. Santos said he is living proof of what is possible in the U.S. after growing up poor to a single mom and being elected as the first openly gay Republican to Congress.
“Since the Left is pushing radical agendas, the economy is struggling, and Washington is incapable of solving anything, we need a fighter who knows the district and can serve the people fearlessly, and [be] independent of local or national party influence,” he said. “Good isn’t good enough, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done.”
Mr. Santos proved that in the 2022 midterm elections, when he ran a campaign built off a series of lies and half-truths that ranged from claims of Jewish heritage to telling people he attended Baruch College and received a scholarship to play on the volleyball team.
Mr. Santos has faced a barrage of criticism from members of both parties.
New York Democrats welcomed the news of his re-election bid, saying it would have been “more appropriate” for Mr. Santos to launch his bid on April Fools’ Day.
Jay S. Jacobs, chair of the New York Democrats, said he is “sure” the other Republican members of the state delegation “are all very excited about the prospect of running with George Santos” on the ticket.
“If these representatives had done more to pressure Speaker Kevin McCarthy to bring a vote to expel him rather than just pay lip service, they would have been spared the embarrassment of running with George Santos, or whatever his name is,” Mr. Jacobs said.
The Nassau County GOP this year called on Mr. Santos to resign from Congress, saying he deceived voters and local officials on his way to winning the seat.
“His lies were not mere fibs. He disgraced the House of Representatives,” Joseph Cairo Jr., chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee, said at a news conference this year. “He’s not welcome here at Republican headquarters.”
The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether Mr. Santos engaged in unlawful activity in his 2022 congressional race and in sexual misconduct with an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.
Mr. Santos has said he “learned his lesson” after revelations that he made up much of his life story. He also has said his claims have “largely always been aboveboard.”
“I’m just gonna go the extra step now to double-check, cross-reference everything,” he told OANN this year.
Mr. Santos could face some fundraising hurdles. CBS News reported Monday that he has had to reimburse more donors for the money they previously sent his campaign than he has raised over the first quarter of 2023.
Mr. Santos raised $5,333 over the first three months of the year and was reimbursed $8,353 over that same period.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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