Former U.S. Representative George Santos has announced his withdrawal from the race for New York’s 1st Congressional District. The announcement comes after months of speculation surrounding his campaign’s lack of progress and legal challenges. Santos had initially planned to run as an independent candidate but has now decided to step aside to avoid splitting the vote and potentially handing the seat to a Democrat.
Santos, who was expelled from the House last year while facing a slew of federal fraud charges, had previously expressed his intention to challenge Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in the GOP primary for the eastern Long Island congressional district. However, he later decided to run for the seat as an independent.
In his withdrawal announcement, Santos stated that he does not want to be responsible for handing the house to Democrats. He also did not rule out seeking office in the future, saying, ‘It’s only goodbye for now. I’ll be back.’
Santos was expelled from the House in December following a report that determined there was ‘overwhelming evidence’ of lawbreaking and that he ‘cannot be trusted.’ He has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include deceiving Congress about his wealth, stealing from his campaign, and obtaining unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. He has a trial tentatively scheduled for later this year.
