Former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from Congress in December and faces federal charges for defrauding donors to his 2022 campaign, announced he would seek re-election.
The Republican is only the sixth elected official to be ousted by other members of the House.
He announced Thursday evening on
George Santos made the announcement after attending President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and mingling with former colleagues who voted to expel him from Congress following a scathing report of the House of Representatives Ethics Committee.
The former representative, who previously said he would no longer seek elected office, said he had decided to challenge Mr. LaLota in New York’s 1st Congressional District, east of Long Island, after “a prayer and a conversation” with friends and family.
“Tonight I want to announce that I will return to the political arena and challenge Nick in the battle for NY1,” he wrote.
Mr. Santos filed documents with the Federal Election Commission naming a campaign committee and declaring his intention to challenge Mr. LaLota in the Republican primary in June.
“If to finish the job you have to beat him in a primary, count on me,” replied Mr. LaLota, who led the effort to expel the ex-representative.
Democrat Tom Suozzi, who held the seat won by Mr. Santos in 2022 but resigned to run unsuccessfully for governor of New York, won back the district in a special election last month.
George Santos admitted to lying about his work experience and college education during his previous campaign.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to Congress about his wealth, receiving unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled, and using his campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.
A judge tentatively scheduled the trial for September, after the primaries.