Expelled Congressman George Santos Says He’s Running for Congress Again

After previously holding the seat in the New York 3rd Congressional District, the expelled Congressman says he is now running for the 1st District seat

Expelled New York Congressman George Santos says he’s running for office again in 2024.

The former Congressman, 35, made the announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter) during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on Thursday. Santos was seen sitting among his former colleagues as Biden, 81, delivered his annual address in the House chamber.

“New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like @nicklalota.” posted Santos. RINO is an acronym for "Republican in Name Only."

In his post, Santos continued to criticize New York 1st Congressional District Representative Nick LaLota, whose seat he seeks. “He is a willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain,” Santos wrote.

Rep. LaLota was one of the New York representatives who co-sponsored the expulsion resolution of Santos from the New York 3rd Congressional District seat.

“After a lot of prayer and conversation with my friends and family, I have made a very important decision that will shake things up,” continued Santos. “Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick for the battle over #NY1.”

Related: George Santos Pleads Not Guilty to New Charges as Effort to Expel Him Swells in Congress

“I look forward to debating him on the issues and on his weak record as a Republican. The fight for our majority is imperative for the survival of the country," he added. “God bless you all, and we are off to the races!"

On Dec. 1, 2023, Santos was expelled from Congress by a vote of 311-114.

Santos was embroiled in controversy before his term even began in January 2023. But in May, he was charged with fraud and lying in a 13-count indictment, which arose after an investigation into his financial disclosures and alleged false claims he made while running for Congress.

The 13 counts included seven charges of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

Related: George Santos Facing 10 New Federal Charges Including Identity Theft and Falsification of Records

Then, in October, the Republican was hit with an additional 10 more counts — which included one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud and two counts of making materially false statements to the FEC, two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud.

Santos pleaded not guilty to each of the criminal charges. Since then, Santos' legal team and the prosecution have been in “preliminary discussions” regarding a plea deal, reported CNN. His trial is currently set for August 2024.

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Following his expulsion, Democrat Tom Suozzi won Santos’ seat. Suozzi flipped the Republican seat and defeated Republican nominee Mazi Melesa Pilip.

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