Disgraced former congressman George Santos has announced that he is ending his bid to re-enter the lawmaking body that he left in disgrace following revelations that he lied about his background before taking office in January 2023, committed ethical violations, and allegedly broke federal laws.
“I have decided to withdraw my candidacy for Congress in New York’s 1st Congressional District,” he posted online Tuesday, referring to the district where he hoped to compete with Republican incumbent Nick LaLota and whoever becomes the 1st Congressional District’s Democratic nominee.
Santos previously represented the 3rd Congressional District. He was seen as a long shot to be elected to the House of Representatives again in November.
The 35-year-old MAGA Republican had so far raised very little money for his campaign when he told the Daily News last week he would “do this all with volunteers.”
According to Santos, he’s pulling out of the November race because he fears splitting the Republican vote and handing the district to Democrats. The Queens native — whose lies allegedly include his claim that he’s the “Jew-ish” descendant of Holocaust survivors — said on X that he doesn’t want to see Democrats come to power because the party allegedly has “a very large issue with antisemitism in their ranks.”
Santos was charged with wire fraud in May, followed by a 12-count indictment in October. His alleged crimes include making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission and aggravated identity theft.
“The future holds countless possibilities and I am ready, willing and able to step up to the plate and go fight for my country at anytime,” he wrote on Tuesday.
Santos faces a possible prison sentence if convicted of his crimes.
