Former U.S. Representative George Santos announced on Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the race for New York’s 1st Congressional District.
Santos, who had initially launched an independent campaign to challenge Republican Rep. Nick LaLota, cited concerns about potentially splitting the Republican vote and inadvertently handing the seat to the Democrats.
Despite his criticisms of LaLota’s voting record, Santos stated on the social media platform X,
“I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems.” He added, “Staying in this race all but guarantees a victory for the Dems in the race.”
After facing expulsion from the House in December 2023 following an ethics committee report and multiple federal fraud charges, George Santos announced his bid to challenge LaLota in the GOP primary. However, he later decided to run as an independent candidate, further complicating the race.
The former congressman’s campaign committee reported no fundraising or expenditures in March, which fueled speculation that his campaign had failed to gain traction.
While he did not rule out seeking office in the future, stating, “It’s only goodbye for now, I’ll be back,” his withdrawal from the race eliminates a potential three-way contest that could have split the Republican vote.