Disgraced former Rep. George Santos, who was caught in an incredulous number of lies about his background and expelled from Congress after the House Ethics Committee found that he had repeatedly exploited his position for financial gain, is running for office again.
Santos announced his plans after President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday night, claiming that he had “left office arbitrarily” in December when he had, in fact, been ousted by his then-colleagues in an exceptionally rare move. (Since the Civil War, only two other House members had been expelled.)
“After a lot of prayer and conversation with my friends and family, I have made a very important decision that will shake things up,” Santos wrote on X. “Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick [LaLota] for the battle over #NY1.”
Santos lamented that New York residents haven’t “had a real conservative represent them” since he was in office. His former seat, in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, was won by Democrat Tom Suozzi in a special election in February. The GOP primary for LaLota’s seat will be held June 25.
“The fight for our majority is imperative for the survival of the country,” he wrote.
His positioning as a conservative champion in Congress is interesting, given his dearth of legislative achievements while he actually was in the House. As NBC News reported, he introduced 40 bills or resolutions, none of which gained a single vote.
More curious is his motive for running again. After his expulsion, Santos set off on what The New York Times called a “notoriety tour,” selling personalized videos on Cameo, sitting for an interview with Ziwe Fumudoh and even offering up a subscription channel for gossip about his former colleagues.
But the fanfare around Santos and his attempt to rebrand himself as a gay icon has faded considerably. He is facing a federal trial in September on 23 felony charges, including campaign finance fraud and identity theft; he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His Cameo videos, which in late December cost $500 apiece, are now down to $350. And people simply aren’t talking about him as much anymore.
It’s entirely reasonable to think that this is a ploy for Santos to stay relevant — and, as a result, make money.
Although, to be fair, he also claims to miss his old job.
“I miss Capitol Hill,” he told ABC News after a court appearance in January. “I worked really hard to get there.”