Disgraced former representative George Santos ends race for new House seat

George Santos had dropped out of his independent bid for a second spot in the House of Representatives months after being ousted from his New York seat.

“I have decided to withdraw from my independent run for #NY1,” Mr Santos wrote on X on Tuesday evening. The former representative first announced his bid for the seat representing Long Island in March.

The news came after Mr Santos made asurprise appearance at President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address, despite being expelled from Congress just months earlier.

“I don’t want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota… 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,” Mr Santos continued. His incumbent GOP opponent, Mr Lalota, was first elected in 2023.

“I will continue to participate in the public policy discussion and will do my part… I will always strive to stand on the right side of history,” Mr Santos wrote.