- On Monday, Rep. George Santos announced his bid for a 2024 reelection.
- Santos’ time in office has been plagued by reports that he made up chunks of his resume.
- It was also recently revealed that his campaign refunded more money than it had received in donations.
Rep. George Santos has announced his run for reelection as the representative of New York’s 3rd congressional district. His announcement comes amid investigations into his finances and with a campaign that’s low on cash.
In a post on Twitter on Monday, the Republican announced his reelection bid, writing, “I am proudly announcing my bid for re-election for #NY03. This is about TAKING BACK our country and restoring greatness back to New York.”
He linked out to a site where supporters can donate to his campaign.
—George Santos (@Santos4Congress) April 17, 2023
On March 14, Santos filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, which showed intent to run for reelection. It also allowed him to crowdfund as a candidate and spend money raised for his campaign, per The New York Times.
Santos’ announcement comes days after his financial filings showed that his campaign has refunded more money this year than it has received from donors.
The FEC filings show that Santos’ campaign received $5,333.26 in individual contributions in the first quarter of 2023. In the same period, it refunded $8,352.78 to at least four individuals, resulting in a deficit of more than $3,000.
At the end of the first quarter of 2023, his campaign had just over $25,000 in cash and a debt of $715,000, with some owed to Santos himself.
It’s not just his financial troubles that point to a shaky run. Santos lacks support from members of his own party, many of whom have called for him to resign.
He has admitted to fabricating a substantial part of his resume, including lies about going to university, being Jewish, and working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
In February, the House Ethics Committee launched a probe into whether Santos engaged in unlawful activity during his campaign in 2022, whether he submitted inaccurate statements on his financial disclosure, and if he sexually harassed a prospective employee.
In a brief interview with CNN on Capitol Hill, Santos said he “100%” denies the harassment accusations and that the claims are “comical.”
Santos’ ex-roommate has also accused him of masterminding a credit card fraud scheme. The roommate, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, says Santos taught him how to illegally obtain credit card information.
Santos responded by saying that he is innocent, that he has never done “anything of criminal activity,” and that he was “no mastermind of anything,” per a report by NBC News in March.
A spokeswoman for Santos did not immediately reply to Insider’s request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
