Leaving the door open for a future candidacy, George Santos abandons his independent race in Congress in order to not divide the Republican vote

George Santos has abandoned his independent career in Congress for now. The former congressman, who had announced his intentions to run for New York’s first electoral district, has now put aside this plan, arguing that the current political structure makes a victory outside the two traditional parties impossible. However, he hinted that his departure from politics is still a long way off.

Santos has garnered national attention several times in recent years, first for turning red a seat that was Democratic for ten years in the House of Representatives and then for becoming the first Republican to be formally expelled from the Lower House in December 2023.

Months later, he announced that he would try to return to Capitol Hill as an independent, arguing that he would bring his “ultra MAGA/Trump values to the ballot in November as an independent.”

However, in an interview with Dr. Phil, he announced that he would shelve this idea, given the current political system’s antipathy toward independent candidates.

“I don’t want to split the ballot and be responsible for handing the chamber to the Democrats”

Minutes later, he also communicated his decision on social networks, mentioning the risk that a House of Representatives controlled by Democrats would imply in a context of antisemitism.

“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. It is clear that with the rise of antisemitism in our country, we cannot afford to hand the house to Dems as they have a very large issue with antisemitism in their ranks,” he wrote on his X account.

“I have meet with leaders and with constituents and I have made the decision to hang it up here and stop perusing this race, THIS YEAR!. The future holds countless possibilities and I am ready, willing and able to step up to the plate and go fight for my country at anytime,” he added.

Finally, he left the door open for a future candidacy without specifying much more. “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. It’s only goodbye for now, I’ll be back,” Santos concluded.