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Documented liar and alleged fraudster George Santos has ended his independent bid for a House seat that he had little chance of winning, saying he did not want to split the vote with his Republican rival and risk electing a Democrat.
Announcing the withdrawal of his candidacy for New York's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, Santos wrote on X that although he is critical of Republican candidate Nick LaLota's "abysmal record," running against him would "all but guarantee" that the Democratic nominee would take the seat.
"I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems," he wrote.
Santos launched his bid for the seat in early March as a Republican. Weeks later, he filed to run as an independent because, as he said, the GOP "continues to lie and swindle its voter base."
"I will take my Ultra MAGA/Trump supporting values to the ballot in November as an Independent," he wrote on X at the time.
But Santos' effort to frame the demise of his campaign as some sort of altruistic decision in service of the greater conservative agenda is belied by the fact that it seemed to have had little momentum. According to a filing with the Federal Election Commission, his campaign clocked no financial contributions and expenditures in March following his initial announcement. He is also facing a federal fraud trial in September; he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Still, Santos suggested that his political ambitions remain alive and well. "It’s only goodbye for now, I’ll be back," he wrote Tuesday in his announcement.
His star won't fade completely, though — not as long as he continues pumping out Cameo videos for $250 a pop.