Former US Rep. George Santos (R-NY) announced last month that he plans to not only run for reelection, but to run as an Independent — not a Republican.
The GOP congressman was ousted by both Republican and Democratic colleagues after a series of lies and scandals involving alleged fraud and campaign law violations.
The Daily Beast reports, "If Santos does get on the general election ballot, it could pose an issue for Republicans as he could siphon away votes from" his rival, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) "in a district Democrats would like to flip."
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However, the embattled former Republican congressman needs the petition signatures to do so, which the Beast notes experts say is "unlikely."
Because he has yet to raise any money, the Beast notes that some people "believe this congressional bid is nothing more than a joke and a way to anger LaLota," who Santos has called "a traditional meathead, somebody who’s not nice to you for no reason."
The former right-wing leader told the news outlet, "I will not be raising a single dime until I’m confirmed on the ballot, unlike many in the media speculating I’m only running to ‘grift.’ I’m setting the standard that only confirmed ballot access candidates should raise money."
In January, Politico's Jessica Piper reported that Santos' campaign committee still owed over $150,000 to vendors following the New York congressman's December ouster.
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Piper noted that "a report filed by the committee on January 31 'underscores the financial mess that Santos' campaign wrought.'"
Per the Beast, "According to his filing with the Federal Election Commission on Monday, the new campaign account he formed in order to run against LaLota reported spending money even as it failed to raise any—a rarity for a candidate attempting to oust an incumbent."
The Daily Beast's full report is here (subscription required).
