VETTING POST-SANTOS
Dems delay picking candidate; Republicans taking their time Lyin’ George, ‘Icon’ of Congress, will sell you a voice message for $200
Democratic leaders have delayed announcing their candidate to vie for the empty congressional seat that was held by disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos seat until Thursday at least.
Party chief Jay Jacobs, who doubles as Nassau County boss, said Monday that leaders want to spend a couple more days deciding on their nominee for a looming special election to fill the NY-03 seat left vacant by the expulsion of Santos.
Insiders have said ex-Rep. Tom Suozzi is a sure thing to get the nomination in what is likely to be a tough race to flip the seat in a marquee political matchup in the dead of winter.
But Jacobs, who is the effective decisionmaker along with fellow party leaders Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Greg Meeks and Gov. Hochul, insisted that nothing is set in stone yet.
“Regardless of what you may have heard, this is not going to be an anointment of anyone,” Jacobs said. “The governor wants to make sure we vet the candidates carefully and come up with the best person.”
Democratic leaders had earlier vowed to unveil their hand-picked nominee by Tuesday. So they may now be seeking to send a message to Suozzi by delaying any announcement by at least 48 hours.
Aside from Suozzi, a top contender is ex-state Sen. Anna Kaplan. Jacobs said leaders are eyeing “three or four” options.
Kaplan, a Jewish immigrant from Iran, took a measured shot at Suozzi for abandoning the seat to mount an ill-fated primary challenge to Hochul in last year’s governor’s race.
“He left the seat saying he didn’t want to be a part of Congress,” Kaplan said on CNN.
Republicans have said they intend to spend most of this week interviewing and vetting up to 20 wannabe lawmakers.
Among the potential GOP candidates are Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip, an Ethiopian-Israeli immigrant; state Sen. Jack Martins, Air Force veteran Kellen Curry and retired NYPD Detective Mike
Sapraicone.
As for Santos, he spent much of the weekend tweeting bile at fellow New York Republicans, whom he blames for engineering his ouster.
The House voted by 311-114 to expel Santos, the first lawmaker since the Civil War to be booted without being convicted of a crime. He is awaiting trial on federal campaign finance, theft and fraud charges.
Under special election rules, party leaders pick their candidates without going through a primary election.
Hochul has a week to set a date for the vote which must be between 70 and 80 days from the announcement, putting the election in late February. The winner would fill the seat for the rest of Santos’ original two-year term.
Candidates from both parties can vie for the seat in a regular primary election and a general election in November for a fresh two-year term.
Whoever wins in the special would be a strong favorite to win their party’s nod for the general election while the loser would be unlikely to get another bite at the apple.
George Santos’ first gig out of Congress is selling Cameo appearances for $200 apiece.
The disgraced politician became the sixth congressman to be expelled from the House of Representatives Friday following a scathing Ethics Committee report alleging misappropriation of campaign funds. But supporters still wanting to hear Santos’ voice can hire him to record a video greeting.
One of his first recordings is addressed to someone named Megan. In that clip, which lasts nearly a minute, the 35-yearold Republican offers advice on coping with criticism.
“They can boot me out of Congress, but they can’t take away my good humor or my larger-than-life personality,” Santos said.
Santos’ refers to himself as a “Former congressional ‘Icon’ on his Cameo profile. Those wishing to buy a personalized message can choose from topics including holiday greetings, gossip and advice.
When Santos started selling video messages, they cost only $150, according to The Hill.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, by comparison, charges only $20 per message.
In another sample Cameo clip Santos posted, he said “It doesn’t matter if you either get fired from a job or if you find a new job, what matters is what you make of it.”
Santos was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2022 thanks to a campaign built almost entirely on lies about his education, work history and family background.
He was exposed by a bombshell New York Times report that generously claimed he “seems to have misrepresented a number of his career highlights.”
Santos faces nearly two dozen felony counts that could send him to prison.
He said at a press conference last week before being kickd out of government that he didn’t know what his next move would be, but “the future is endless.”
A link to his congressional biography page shows a list of “Current Vacancies of the 118th Congress.”