WASHINGTON — New York Republican George Santos announced Thursday that he would make another run for a New York House seat after being expelled by his colleagues in December.
The indicted former congressman, who attended Thursday’s State of the Union address, plans to run against Nick LaLota for New York’s 1st District. He had previously represented the 3rd District.
Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., wears a Laken Riley button before President Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press
“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 said on the social media site X. “Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick.”
Santos posted the news during President Biden’s speech.
LaLota, sitting on the House floor with other New York Republicans, looked at his phone at one point during the speech and then looked to the back of the room where Santos was standing. LaLota and fellow Republican Mike Lawler shared a laugh.
The House in December voted 311-114 to remove Santos, surpassing the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution to oust a member of Congress. It was his critics’ third try to expel him, with many Republicans who had previously blocked the move switching sides after an Ethics Committee investigation substantiated new allegations of theft and deceit.
Santos’ expulsion marked the climax of a political saga that raised questions about how a serial fabricator of tall tales could get elected to federal office with little vetting by political parties or the media.
“To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos,” LaLota said in a statement shortly after Santos’s announcement. “If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.”
LaLota, who was first elected in 2022, became one of Santos’ fiercest detractors and helped introduce an expulsion resolution.
The 1st District on eastern Long Island includes the wealthy summer resorts of the Hamptons and Shelter Island. It’s unclear if Santos has moved to the area, but one of his former Republican colleagues, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, has switched districts for the 2024 election.
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