Former GOP Rep. George Santos - who was historically expelled from the House last year via a bipartisan vote and is currently staring down a slew of serious federal charges - announced Thursday night during President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech that he’s unbelievably throwing his hat in the political ring yet again, this time challenging the incumbent in New York's 1st Congressional District, GOP Rep. Nick LaLota.
The 1st Congressional District includes the eastern two-thirds of Suffolk County, including the northern portion of Brookhaven, as well as the entirety of the towns of Huntington, Smithtown, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, and Shelter Island.
“Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick for the battle over #NY1,” Santos posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday evening. “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.”
LaLota, who had introduced a resolution last fall to expel Santos - whom he said deserved "to be in prison" - mocked his disgraced rival's announcement.
“To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos," LaLota said. "If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in."
Santos, 34, faces an uphill battle in his hope to once again represent Long Island in Congress. He grew into infamy after being elected to Congress in 2022 - filling Democrat Tom Suozzi's old 3rd Congressional District seat - after it was revealed that many of the statements he made during his campaign were false, including claims that he was a rich Wall Street investor with a vast real estate portfolio and had been a star volleyball player in college.
Following an investigation and the filing of federal criminal charges against Santos - which included accusations of embezzling contributions from supporters, fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits, and lying in disclosures to the House of Representatives - Santos was expelled from Congress by a House vote of 311–114 on December 1, 2023.