new york –
Rep. George Santos, a Republican freshman from New York who has been charged with numerous financial crimes, including embezzlement of campaign funds, is giving up his campaign to pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars he loaned himself to be elected in 2022. withdrew $85,000 from .
Santos has posted a relatively paltry 138,000 in the past three months heading into a re-election run in what is expected to be one of the country’s hottest and most contested races in 2024, according to parliamentary election records released on Friday. It turned out that he collected dollars.
Records show that he spent nearly US$118,000, most of it to start paying off the more than US$700,000 he lent himself for last year’s stunning win.
Overwhelming fundraising struggles to fend off the challenge of fellow Republican Kellen Curry, Afghanistan war veteran and former JP Morgan banker who raised over US$200,000 and spent US$36,000 in the same period suggests that it is possible to
Meanwhile, Nassau County Rep. Joshua Raffazan, the top Democratic contender for New York’s 3rd congressional district, has raised more than $345,000, most of which is still in the bank.
In May, Santos pleaded not guilty to 13 federal indictments charged with looting campaign funds, fraudulently receiving unemployment insurance, and lying to Congress that he was a billionaire. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The next day, he signed an agreement with Brazilian authorities that allowed him to avoid prosecution for forging two stolen checks in 2008.
Despite legal troubles, Santos vowed to fight to keep his seat in parliament. Seats primarily cover the western suburbs of Long Island, but also span parts of Queens, New York City.
Complicating the matter is whether congressional districts must be redrawed, but if congressional boundaries are moved to favor Democrats, some incumbent Republicans will can mean difficulties for
Santos, despite constant calls for his resignation, owing to his many deceptions during his last campaign, including his education, Wall Street pedigree and other falsified résumés. announced his candidacy for re-election in April.
Serious questions about his finances also surfaced. Also included are sources of wealth that he seems to have amassed rapidly despite recent financial troubles, such as his eviction and thousands of dollars in arrears of rent payments.
Santos is also under investigation by House committees and local authorities to see if he broke the law during his last campaign.
