In the US House of Representatives
Successor to scandal MP George Santos elected
February 14, 2024, 9:30 a.m
The US House of Representatives kicked out Republican George Santos last year after allegations of fraud, money laundering and theft. A successor to the representative from the US state of New York has now been elected. And that means the majority of Republicans in the Chamber of Congress is shrinking.
Democrat Tom Suozzi won the special election in New York state. He took over the seat in Congress from Republican George Santos, who had lost his seat due to various scandals. According to CNN, Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip with 54 percent.
The US House of Representatives expelled scandal-ridden MP George Santos, who was accused of fraud, at the end of last year. The Chamber of Congress voted with the necessary two-thirds majority to expel the 35-year-old Republican, who initially made headlines with a series of lies about his CV. Santos is only the sixth representative in US history to be expelled from the House of Representatives.
After his election, there were repeated revelations about the politician’s sometimes outrageous false statements about, among other things, his university education, his career path, his family and his religion. Santos claimed a degree from an elite university and a successful collegiate volleyball career and falsely claimed to have worked for the investment bank Goldman Sachs and the banking group Citigroup.
In May last year, Santos was indicted by the federal judiciary on charges including fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives. In October, the charges were expanded to include identity theft in connection with the theft of campaign funds.
Expensive campaign in a special election
The campaigns and outside political action committees have spent more than $20 million on advertising and organizing in this special election. Part of that focused on the record-breaking number of illegal border crossings – something President Joe Biden and Democrats in the lower voting districts are already eyeing heading into November.
Voter turnout is often lower in special elections than in general elections, so the lessons from this outcome are limited. But it has an immediate impact on the House of Representatives. Suozzi will further reduce the Republicans’ already narrow majority in the House of Representatives, which currently consists of 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats.
“This race was about immigration and the economy – just like the issues across our country,” Suozzi told his supporters. “We, you, won this race because we addressed the issues and found a way to overcome our divisions.”