Former Rep. George Santos (R.N.Y.) insisted Tuesday night that his scandal has not hurt the Republican Party, as Democrats succeeded in flipping the former lawmaker’s seat.
NewsNation’s Dan Abrams asked Santos whether his scandal hurt the Republican Party in the New York special election to fill his vacant seat. Mr. Santos was indicted last year on criminal charges and expelled from Congress after it was revealed that he had made numerous false claims about his background and his professional experience.
“Absolutely not. Last year, there were local elections in 2023,” he said on “Dan Abrams Live” before the race was called. “All Republican incumbents in NY-3 were re-elected, and we flipped two local seats from blue to red that were historically blue, so George Santos has no impact on anyone’s bottom line in NY-3. I think that was proven in the last election.”
“And I think tonight proves that,” he added.
Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) secured victory over Republican Maj. Pilip in a special election Tuesday night, reclaiming his old seat in the House. This was a significant victory for Democrats, who lost New York’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022 despite voting for President Biden in New York’s 3rd Congressional District in 2020.
Santos also said he had “mixed feelings” about whether he wanted Suozzi or Pilip to win.
“I don’t want Mr. Suozzi to win because he voted for many policies and voted with Joe Biden on the issues we face as New Yorkers today. Well, as you said, I want to honor the people who took me there,” Santos said.
Suozzi’s victory will shrink the Republican majority in the House to 219-213.Immediately after the race was called for Suozzi, Santos I wrote “-1” on X (formerly Twitter).
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