New York Rep. George Santos (R) announced on Monday via an Instagram post that he will be running for reelection in 2024, despite pushback over fabrications he made about his life.
Santos wrote in his release that he was "elected to fulfill my campaign promises of securing our border, lowering the high cost of living, solving the disastrous SALT issue in our tax code and fighting the [New York Governor Kathy] Hochul crime crisis of policies empowering criminals to terrorize the people of New York."
“Good isn’t good enough, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done," he continued. "I’m proud to announce my candidacy to run for reelection and continue to serve the people of NY-3.”
Santos became the subject of several investigations and calls to resign after alleged improprieties were discovered in his campaign finance reporting and revelations that showed he misled voters about his education, work experience and heritage. He also falsely claimed his mother survived the 9/11 attacks, and that he lost four employees during the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Investigations from various media outlets revealed Santos’ mother was not in the United States on September 11, 2001, and that none of the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting were associated with Santos or any of his companies.
The myriad of controversies has led to an investigation by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee and multiple prominent politicians, including some Republicans, to demand that the Long Island Congressman resign. The congressman has been adamant he would not resign during his term, though he did admit to embellishing his resume during the campaign.
Last month, Santos filed paperwork stating he would seek reelection but politicians often do that so they can keep fundraising while they remain undecided. The paperwork was a hint that Santos might run, his announcement confirms.
Santos likely faces an uphill battle to stay in office. Republican party chairman Edward F Cox said in an interview that the organization would not support a Santos reelection campaign and the Nassau County Republican Committee has likewise said they will not endorse him in 2024.
A January Siena poll revealed 78% of voters in his district, including 71% of Republicans, wanted Santos to resign amid the controversies.
Santos, unsurprisingly, will face a primary challenger. Kellen Curry, an Afghanistan veteran and former vice president at JPMorgan has announced he will seek the Republican nomination.
Democrats will also be seeking to regain the seat in the general election, with a county legislator announcing he will seek the spot. Santo’s predecessor Tom Suozzi, who vacated the seat to unsuccessfully run for governor is also rumored to be in the running, as is Santo’s opponent in 2022, Rob Zimmerman.
Besides the lack of public support, support from his party, and growing questions about his ethics, Santos is also having trouble fundraising. His financial disclosure reports indicate he only has $25,000 on hand and only managed to raise $5,333.26 in donations over the first three months of 2023 while paying $8,400 in donation refunds, meaning the Santos campaign is running at a loss.