George Santos Starts Campaign For Reelection

George Santos, running for reelection, is a Third District New York representative known not only for being the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress but also for being the focus of multiple criminal inquiries during the duration of his political involvement. 

“I am proudly announcing my bid for re-election for #NY03. This is about TAKING BACK our country and restoring greatness back to New York,” he tweeted. The announcement comes only months after Santos was caught fabricating major details in his biography.

The politicians’ deceitful claims vary widely: “Santos claimed that his mother had survived the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, despite records showing that his mother had not been in the United States since 1999. Nor was she ‘the first female executive at a major financial institution,’ as was claimed on Santos’ campaign website, but a domestic worker and home care nurse,” OFM said earlier this year. “He also claimed to have lost employees in the tragic Pulse Nightclub shooting, but none of the victims appeared to have any connection to him.” Other notable falsehoods include lies about his resume, religion, previous employment, education, and more. 

Many are shocked by the Republican lawmakers’ determination to run for re-election, and some call for resignation as scrutiny continues to arise surrounding Santos’s legislative embellishment. “By a margin of 78 to 13 percent, voters in New York’s third Congressional District overwhelmingly say freshman Republican Representative George Santos should resign, including 89% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 71% of Republicans,” shows a poll by Siena College Research Institute. “His constituents view him unfavorably 83 to 7%, including 78% of Republicans who view Santos unfavorably.”  

“Even though Santos identifies as part of the LGBTQ community, he still chooses to embrace far-right and discriminatory ideas and is an advocator for the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida prohibiting K-3 teachers from teaching their students about gender identity or sexual orientation,” OFM adds. Despite numerous calls for his resignation and declining voter support, Santos recently claimed “He wouldn’t resign until the 142,000 people that voted for him ask him to resign,” according to ABC News.

“I was elected to fulfill my campaign promises of securing our border, lowering the high cost of living… and fighting the Hochul crime crisis of policies empowering criminals to terrorize the people of New York, “Santos says in his campaign statement. “Good isn’t good enough, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done. I’m proud to announce my candidacy to run for re-election and continue to serve the people of NY-3.”

Photo courtesy of Twitter