George Santos announces surprise congressional run during State of the Union

Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on Thursday announced he will run for Congress just a few months after being expelled from the House.

He is set to challenge Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.).

His surprise announcement came during President Biden’s State of the Union address. Santos attended the speech, his first time back in the Capitol since his expulsion.

Santos was expelled from his Long Island congressional seat in December and faces more than 20 criminal charges connected to allegations that he misled donors, fraudulently received unemployment benefits, and charged his donors’ credit cards without authorization.

He was replaced in Congress last month by Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) after a special election.

“New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like Nick LaLota,” Santos said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “He is a willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain.”

“Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick for the battle over NY-1,” he continued. “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.”

Santos and LaLota have butted heads for months. In November, a day before he was expelled from Congress, Santos called the fellow New York Republican a “meathead.”

“I don’t like Nick LaLota. And I’m not alone,” he said. “His district has people who don’t like him. If it weren’t for the GOP infrastructure, he wouldn’t be a member of Congress, because the people themselves do not like the man.”

“If he faces a true challenger, well funded, one person without a spoiler candidate, he might not win,” Santos continued. “He’s not well-liked. He’s an arrogant person. He’s not a nice guy. He’s cocky. He’s a traditional meathead, somebody that’s not nice to you for no reason.”

The New York primary election is June 25. LaLota faces no other Republican opposition.

“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 in a statement to The Hill. “If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.”

Mychael Schnell contributed. Updated at 10:47 p.m.