Updated Apr 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy

George Santos drops third-party bid for Congress

Sareen Habeshian

Former Rep. George Santos in Washington, D.C., in December. Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images

Former Rep. George Santos announced Tuesday he's dropping out of the Congressional race after mounting an independent, third-party bid last month against Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.).

The big picture: Santos, who was a Republican when he was expelled from Congress in December after less than a year, would have potentially siphoned off GOP votes in a swing district that could help determine the House majority.

Santos acknowledged this in a post to X Tuesday, saying: "Staying in this race all but guarantees a victory for the Dems in the race."

Zoom in: "I don't want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota," Santos said. "Although Nick and I don't have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don't want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems…"

He added that the future "holds countless possibilities" and he will continue to "participate in the public policy discussion."

Catch up quick: Santos initially planned to challenge LaLota as a Republican, which he announced during an unexpected — and uninvited — appearance at the State of the Union.

But hours after the House passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill reviled by the House's right-wing hardliners, Santos said he would mount an independent bid and that he "can no longer be part of the Republican Party."

The House voted to expel Santos in December over his many fabrications on the 2022 campaign trail and his two federal indictments.

Go deeper: GOP push emerges to keep George Santos away from the Capitol

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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George Santos drops third-party bid for Congress

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