Santos says he’s leaving Republican Party, will run as independent for N.Y. House seat

Disgraced former Rep. George Santos said he is ditching the Republican Party and will instead run as an independent in the race for New York’s 1st Congressional District, following his expulsion over fraud allegations.

“I am officially suspending my petitioning in #NY01 to access the ballot as a Republican and will be filling to run as an independent…,” he wrote on X Friday. “I will take my Ultra MAGA/Trump supporting values to the ballot in November as an Independent.”

He said the switch comes after the House on Friday passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill to prevent an impending government shutdown. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, quickly filed a motion to have Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, ousted from his post.

“After today’s embarrassing showing in the House I have reflected and decided that I can no longer be part of the Republican Party…,” Mr. Santos said. “The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base. I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything.”

Mr. Santos, who was expelled from his House seat representing New York’s 3rd Congressional District, announced earlier this month during President Biden’s State of the Union that he would be running for Congress again.

In the lengthy X post announcing on Friday, he attacked Rep. Nick LaLota, the Republican who currently holds the seat.

Mr. Santos was elected in 2022 for the seat that represented parts of Long Island and Queens. His expulsion came after reports revealed that he had lied about multiple points on his resume, including where he went to university, where he worked, and even his cultural background.

He faces 23 federal fraud and wire charges after the House Ethics Committee said there was “overwhleming evidence” that he broke the law and exploited his office for his personal profit. The report alleged that he spent campaign funds on personal items such as Botox, and an OnlyFans account.

To finish off his X post, he tagged Mr. LaLota and John Avlon, a CNN anchor who has jumped into that race as a Democrat, saying he’ll “see you boys in November.”