George Santos announces a bid to return to Congress

NEW YORK — George Santos wants to be back in Congress — or perhaps just back in the spotlight.

The indicted, ousted former House Republican announced late Thursday that he plans to primary Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) on Long Island. Santos posted the news in the middle of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, which he attended and then insulted.

“My promise is that I will never back down because of my love for this country,” Santos posted on X. “New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like @nicklalota.”

Santos faces 23 federal fraud charges and his trial is scheduled to begin in September.

“To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos,” LaLota responded in a statement. “If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.”

The LaLota seat that Santos is seeking is farther east on Long Island than the district he represented until December, when he was expelled by his colleagues.

Democrats are holding a primary of their own, which includes chemist Nancy Goroff and former CNN analyst John Avlon.