Embattled former Rep. George Santos ends reelection campaign two months after announcing comeback bid

WASHINGTON – Disgraced former Rep. George Santos R-N.Y., is dropping his comeback bid less than two months after announcing he was running for reelection.

Santos was expelled from the House by his colleagues last year as he faces sweeping federal charges, including lying to the Federal Election Commission, identity theft, money laundering, wire fraud and theft of public funds. He filed for reelection in March to run against his fellow New York Republican, Rep. Nick LaLota, in the state’s first congressional district as an independent.

But the former lawmaker, who has become known for his extravagant lies, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday that he did not want to “split the ticket and be responsible for handing the House to (Democrats).”

“I have meet (sic) with leaders and with constituents and I have made the decision to hang it up here and stop perusing (sic) this race,” Santos said, though he added his decision to stay out of the House race is only for “THIS YEAR!”

“It’s only goodbye for now, I’ll be back,” Santos teased.

Santos drew bipartisan condemnation from lawmakers last year for fabrications about his biography on the campaign trail, which he admitted to shortly after being sworn in to Congress.

Lawmakers’ patience with Santos eventually ran out when the House Ethics Committee released a scathing report last year that found substantial evidence Santos misused campaign funds for his own personal benefit, including spending donations on OnlyFans, Sephora and other luxury purchases.

Santos' trial on his litany of federal charges is expected to begin in September.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disgraced former Rep. George Santos ends 2024 reelection campaign