Former U.S. Rep. George Santos Drops Bid for Congress Amid Federal Fraud Charges

Disgraced Former U.S. Rep. George Santos Drops Bid for Congress Amid Federal Fraud Charges

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos has announced that he is withdrawing his bid to return to Congress, citing a lack of fundraising and support for his campaign. Santos, who was expelled from the House while facing federal fraud charges, was running as an independent candidate for the 1st Congressional District in New York.

The decision to drop out of the race comes after Santos’ campaign committee reported no fundraising or expenditures in March, leading to speculation that his campaign was struggling to gain traction. Santos had previously launched a campaign to challenge Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in the GOP primary for a different congressional district on Long Island, before later deciding to run as an independent.

In a statement on social media platform X, Santos expressed concerns about splitting the ticket and potentially handing the seat to Democrats if he stayed in the race. He acknowledged his differences with LaLota but ultimately decided to step aside to avoid dividing the vote.

Santos was expelled from the House in December following an ethics committee report that found overwhelming evidence of lawbreaking and deemed him untrustworthy. He is currently facing federal charges related to deceiving Congress about his wealth, misusing campaign funds, and fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits.

Despite his decision to withdraw from the current race, Santos did not rule out seeking office in the future, stating, “It’s only goodbye for now. I’ll be back.”

Santos’ trial for the federal charges is tentatively scheduled for later this year. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.

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