Santos risks siphoning off Republican votes in a swing district that could decide the House majority.
Share on email said Friday he will mount an independent, third-party bid against Rep. Nick LaLota , rather than run in the Republican primary.Should Santos get the signatures to make it on the ballot, he could siphon off GOP votes from LaLota in a swing district that could help decide the House majority.
"Santos can watch me defend this important swing district and the November election results from his prison cell as he's being held accountable for stealing an election and ripping off donors." John Avlon, a Democrat running for the seat, said Santos and LaLota are "just two faces of Trumpism: one's a serial liar and the other is a Trump-flunky who will do whatever Donald Trump says."last year after less than a year after an Ethics Committee report accused him of a "complex web of unlawful activity."
He initially planned to challenge LaLota as a Republican, an announcement he made during an unexpected – and uninvited – appearance at the State of the Union earlier this month.New York's 1st congressional district, which covers much of the Eastern and Northern portions of Long Island, went for former President Trump by about 1 percentage point in 2020.
The congressional election in November will coincide with a presidential rematch between Trump and President Biden.Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements from LaLota and Avlon.Share on linkedin
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