George Santos launches re-election campaign & Twitter responds accordingly

As we reported yesterday, New York Rep. George Santos announced his official re-election campaign for 2024. A chorus of howls and eye-rolls greeted the news online.

Santos is infamous worldwide for lying on his résumé. He faces investigations into his dishonesty and campaign finances. Having narrowly flipped a blue district red in 2022, the chances of him clinging on to his seat are slim. That’s if he even makes it through the expected primary.

Santos himself appears undaunted.

“Since the Left is pushing radical agendas, the economy is struggling, and Washington is incapable of solving anything, we need a fighter who knows the district and can serve the people fearlessly, and independent of local or national party influence,” Santos said in a statement.

“Good isn’t good enough, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done. I’m proud to announce my candidacy to run for re-election and continue to serve the people of NY-3,” he added.

The reaction was swift.

Here’s a pic of him getting ready, courtesy of @AgainstSantos pic.twitter.com/KQARknaDyL— Concerned Citizens of NY-03 (@CCNY03) April 17, 2023

— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) April 17, 2023

How will you have time for this while you’re training for the high jump in the 2024 Olympics?— Dana Goldberg (@DGComedy) April 17, 2023

Awesome news. One less seat we have to worry about flipping in 2024.

Thank you!!!— Tim Fullerton (@TimFullerton) April 17, 2023

You don’t serve on any committees

You don’t meet with your constituents

What are you running to do exactly?— Reema Rasool (@reemarasool) April 17, 2023

Santos boasts of his record in Congress

In a separate tweet, Santos touted his achievements during his first 100 days in office. This included “18 floor speeches” and “11 bills introduced”.

The latter claim raised eyebrows. According to Congressional records, Santos sponsored four bills up until the end of March. None of the bills attracted any co-sponsors. All were similar to other bills previously introduced by other members.

Yesterday, Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba tweeted that Santos had just dropped seven more bills “in the hopper”. This is the very first stage of consideration. Reps. drop their bills in a storage bin (“the hopper”) attached to the clerk’s desk. They are then picked up and referred to committees with the appropriate jurisdiction.

Hmmmm… seems like Santos was wanting to make sure he had something to boast about doing in his first 100 days.

Details about these bills have yet to be released, however, Goba says one is called the “Minaj Act”. She says it “establishes a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence.”

Rapper Nicki Minaj famously held off getting the Covid vaccine as she said someone she knew had it and their testicles swelled up (not a known side effect related to the vaccines).

Santos has not commented on reports of his “Minaj Act”. However, he retweeted a tweet from someone praising him for being a Minaj fan. Maybe he thinks that will swing him success in 2024.

It wasn’t just Twitter users who expressed ridicule at the idea of Santos running again. CNN’s Manu Raju says he asked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy yesterday about Santos seeking re-election. According to Raju, McCarthy “let out a laugh.”