Rep. George Santos, the Republican who concocted a series of elaborate lies on his way to electoral victory on Long Island last year, said Monday that he would run for reelection despite woeful poll numbers and a dizzying assortment of inquiries into his conduct.
Santos, whose falsehoods have led to investigations by multiple prosecutors’ offices and his own colleagues, said in a statement that he has made “significant efforts” to honor his campaign pledges on crime, taxes and the economy, and that his district needs a “fighter who can serve the people fearlessly.”
“Good isn’t good enough, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done,” Santos, who filed paperwork a month ago declaring his candidacy, said in a statement. “I’m proud to announce my candidacy to run for reelection.”
As a congressional candidate last year, Santos, 34, fashioned a fictional résumé for himself, deceiving voters about his education, religion, family history, professional experience and property ownership.
Santos’ campaign falsehoods, which were unearthed by The New York Times in December, did not prevent him from taking his seat in January as the representative for New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers a chunk of Long Island and a sliver of eastern Queens.
Still, the discovery of Santos’ lies generated a wave of bipartisan criticism and rendered him a pariah in some Republican circles.
A majority of New York’s House GOP delegation has called on him to resign. And last month, the House ethics committee unanimously ordered an investigation into his campaign finances and a sexual harassment allegation lodged against him.
In his statement on Monday, Santos seemed to spin his Republican detractors as an asset, saying his district needs a representative who is “independent of local or national party influence.”
But there is scant evidence that voters will buy that pitch. In February, 17% of New York State voters viewed him favorably and 64% viewed him unfavorably, according to a Siena College survey.
The tarnished Santos has already drawn multiple rivals for the next cycle. William Murphy, a Democrat who teaches legal studies at St. John’s University, has said he will run in the district, as has Kellen Curry, a Republican businessman.
The chairman of the New York State Democratic Party, Jay Jacobs, playfully dismissed Santos’ reelection campaign.
“George Santos is 16 days late,” Jacobs said in a statement. “April Fools’ Day was on the first of this month, and that would have been a more appropriate date to announce his re-election campaign.”
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