On December 1st, Representative George Santos (R-NY 3rd District) was the sixth member to be expelled from the House of Representatives. In a 311-114 vote, which exceeds the ⅔ majority needed to oust a member, Santos was removed from the House.
Santos was expelled due to his charges of conspiracy, fraud, false statements, identity theft, falsification of records, and credit card fraud, which was more than enough to get bipartisan support for his removal. His lies as a politician prove his lack of dedication to truth and justice, leading to a lack of support from both New Yorkers and other house members.
Since his removal, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has called for a special election in order to find a replacement for Santos’ empty seat. The election will take place on February 13, and the battle will pit Democrat-nominated former Representative Tom Suozzi against a Republican candidate that is to be determined.
Suozzi, who was previously a representative for the 3rd District, unsuccessfully ran for governor in the past, but due to his political experience and strong showing as a representative in the past, the Democrats have chosen to back him.
While the GOP still has time to select their candidate, they have several options that are strong frontrunners. However, Santos was one of the few Republicans serving a district that Biden won in 2020, so the Republican party’s selection is of utmost importance to make sure that their seat doesn’t flip.
Currently, the party leaders are interviewing potential candidates, but other figures have stepped forward as well. From the former New York police detective who was sued for ignoring evidence, Mike Sapraicone, to the registered Democrat Nassau County legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, the net cast out for a GOP candidate is still quite wide.
Regardless of the political turmoil that is sure to unfold in New York in February, both parties can agree that Santos and his fabricated background, not to mention all of his scandals and crimes, were necessary in order to protect the best interests of his constituents. Voters should know who they are voting for and shouldn’t have to deal with childish lies when making a political decision.
As a statement from the Ethics Committee said in a report summarized by CNN, Santos has “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”
Democrats such as Suozzi are hoping that the GOP’s reputation is damaged due to Santos’ actions and will lead them to a win in the highly competitive district. However, the Republicans are also determined not to lose another seat and slim their majority even further after the departure of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy at the end of the year.
Overall, though, a sense of ease has fallen over the Queens and Nassau in the 3rd Congressional District of New York since Santos is no longer representing them; however, peace is not being brought to the district until the special election between Suozzi and the GOP candidate has concluded.
