The Republican Party Is Too Embarrassing for George Santos

George Santos is moving on from the Republican Party. Well, so he says.

After making a surprise appearance at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and announcing a bid for Congress in a new district earlier this month, Santos said Friday that he will be running as an independent this time around.

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After today’s embarrassing showing in the house I have reflected and decided that I can no longer be part of the Republican Party…

The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base. I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that…

— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) March 22, 2024

Santos was referring to some standard Republican chaos that went down on Friday. The House managed to pass a massive $1.2 billion spending bill to fund the government through September and avert a shutdown, to the dismay of some hard-core conservatives. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene floated a measure to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson as the vote was occurring, calling the bill a “betrayal of the American people.” “The clock has started. It’s time for our conference to pick a new speaker,” she said, per Politico.

In earlier posts on his social-media feed, Santos had encouraged his former colleagues in Washington to reject the bill, calling on Johnson to shut down the government. His tweet came after the legislative package passed in the chamber by a 286-134 vote.

Santos intends to challenge Republican incumbent Congressman Nick LaLota and John Avlon, the former journalist who is strongly favored to win the Democratic nomination in Long Island’s First Congressional District. “ill see you boys in November!” he wrote in his post.

Santos, who is reportedly in talks to take a plea deal on numerous federal charges, is the second prominent politician tease going independent this week. In a video released Thursday, New Jersey senator Bob Menendez said he won’t be running for reelection as a Democrat as he navigates 18 criminal counts, including bribery and conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. But he left the door open for another option. “I am hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election,” he said.