Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has set a date for the special election to determine who will fill the federal seat vacated by George Santos.
Santos was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1 after months of intense media scrutiny and legal investigations.
“A vacancy exists in the office of the members of the United States House of Representatives from the Third Congressional District in Nassau and Queens Counties, caused by the expulsion of George Santos following a two-thirds vote,” wrote Hochul in her proclamation.
The special election will be held on Feb. 24. With the expulsion of George Santos from Congress, I am declaring a special election on February 13, 2024 to fill the vacancy and ensure continued representation for the residents of the Third Congressional District. pic.twitter.com/5xSTLpUUsT
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 5, 2023
The election is expected to be contentious as Republicans and Democrats fight for control of the Long Island district. President Joe Biden won the district in 2020. Taking back the Congressional seat could help Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in 2024.
Santos won New York’s Third Congressional District in 2022 after securing nearly 54% of the vote to his Democratic challenger’s roughly 46%.
“This contest was believed to be the first election for Congress where both major-party candidates were openly LGBTQ,” reported Fox 5 NY at the time.
The House Ethics Committee released a report in mid-November stating there was “substantial evidence” that Santos knowingly filed false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission, misused campaign funds, and engaged in fraudulent conduct.
“In light of the ongoing criminal investigation into Representative Santos, and the ISC’s findings of additional uncharged and unlawful conduct by Representative Santos, the ISC recommended that the Committee immediately refer these allegations to the Department of Justice,” the committee said in a statement on Nov. 16. Its decision was unanimously approved.
Santos maintained his dedication to his office and his constituents.
“I will not stand by quietly,” he said during a debate on the motion on Nov. 1. “The people of the Third District of New York sent me here. If they want me out, you’re going to have to go silence those people and go take the hard vote.”
Although he said in a Nov. 28 speech that he would not resign from his office, Santos announced on Nov. 16 that he did not plan to seek reelection as his “family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.”
“I will remain steadfast in fighting for my rights and for defending my name in the face of adversity,” said Santos in a post on X. “I am humbled yet again and reminded that I am human and I have flaws, but I will not stand by as I am stoned by those who have flaws themselves.”
The House ultimately voted in favor of his expulsion 311-114.
The vote came just over seven weeks after Santos was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and credit card fraud by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
