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Former New York congressman George Santos has suspended his campaign to return to Congress.
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The disgraced politician, running as an independent, said he didn’t want to divert Republican votes.
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But he also reported zero campaign finance contributions and no expenditures.
Former New York congressman George Santos announced he was dropping his bid to return to Congress, saying he did not want to divert Republican votes by running as an independent.
But Santos may have been motivated by another factor: his campaign reported zero fundraising and zero FEC expenses.
Santos was expelled from the Chamber in December, ending a short and scandal-filled stint representing New York’s Third District.
He was only the sixth member of Congress to be expelled in the House’s history.
As an elected congressman, several reports have emerged de Santos fabricating aspects of his personal biography, including his claim to be Jewish and details of his educational and professional background.
Even so, the disgraced politician announced its intention to run again — this time in New York’s 1st Congressional District — during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address earlier this year.
A few weeks later, Santos abandoned the Republican Party, saying he would run as an independent.
But on Tuesday, Santos posted in X saying he was suspending his campaign, writing, “Remaining in this race virtually guarantees a victory for the Democrats in the race.”
Criticizing Republican candidate Nick Lalota’s voting record, he said, “I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house over to the Democrats.”
From the end of March, Lalota’s campaign reported about $1.5 million in contributions for 2024.
Santos, who has maintained a gadfly status Since being removed from office, he has said he would continue to contribute to public policy discussions and suggested that his political ambitions are not over.
“For now it’s just goodbye, I’ll be right back,” he wrote.
Santos pleaded not guilty 23 charges related to fraud made in October, in which he is accused of identity theft, stealing donor credit card data and lying to the FEC. He is currently awaiting trial.
Read the original article at Business Insider
