Republicans led the charge to remove Santos, starting with New Yorkers. Does this help them hold onto the majority?

Republicans led the charge to remove Santos, starting with New Yorkers. Does this help them hold onto the majority?

Republicans led the charge to remove Santos © Image by The Associated Press

Although George Santos is no longer in the House, he will undoubtedly be mentioned in significant congressional contests in New York in the upcoming year. Democrats are aiming to link five seats held by Republicans serving their first terms in office as frequently as possible to their former colleague in the state's congressional delegation.

How successful Democrats are in that effort could help determine which party holds the majority in the House in 2025.

The strategy of association was evident as Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York castigated Republicans in comments leading up to Santos' expulsion on Friday.

"Look, before George Santos was elected, House Republicans were well-informed about him." And we have good reason to think that person either purposefully withheld that information from the public or disregarded it," Jeffries stated. "And then, for the better part of the year, continue to play footsie and coddle George Santos after the information burst into the public domain."

As New Yorkers took center stage in the effort to remove Santos, it was clear that there was concern that he may damage the reputation of other Republican members among voters.

Even though the expulsion legislation was written by GOP Rep. Michael Guest, the chairman of the House Ethics Committee from Mississippi, it was sponsored by Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, a Republican whose seat borders Santos' district, and was to be acted upon within two days.

Watching D'Esposito read the resolution on TV, they could see Rep. Mike Lawler right behind him and Rep. Nick LaLota to his left. These are New York congressmen serving their first terms in office; in the 2020 presidential contest, their districts supported Democrat Joe Biden. D'Esposito's district was won by Biden by a margin of almost 14 percentage points.

When the resolution came to the House floor, D'Esposito also led the expulsion side in the debate. Santos spearheaded the opposition side's argument during the debate. Lawler, LaLota, and another Republican from New York, Rep. Marc Molinaro, testified as well. At one point, he became agitated because it was being mentioned that the House would establish a precedent of dismissing members before they had a chance to appear in court.

Molinaro exclaimed, "Dear God, Mr. Speaker, my future former colleague is divorced from reality." "He has fabricated his entire life in order to deceive the people in his district into believing he is a trustworthy representative in Congress."

Santos overthrew the Democratic Party in his area on Long Island by winning 54% of the vote. However, it didn't take long for rumors to start floating about that Santos had lied about his college degree, Wall Street profession, and Jewish lineage. He became a source of embarrassment and diversion for his party. Subsequently, there were federal accusations and the highly negative House Ethics Committee report. Santos entered a not guilty plea.

D'Esposito received 52% of the vote in a neighboring district, while Lawler received 50% of the vote in a suburban area to the north of New York City. Brandon Williams with 51% and Molinaro with 51% were also able to produce close wins.

In May, a Democratic-sponsored proposal to remove Santos was voted on by all five Republicans and referred to the Ethics Committee. The voting was along party lines. Six months later, all five voted in favor of Santos' expulsion, and they did so once more on Friday.

Molinaro stated that he thinks voters will forget about Santos and pointed out that 2024 is a year of presidential elections, with greater focus on the contest for the White House.

"George Santos is a deceitful scammer who need to be assessed according to his deeds. Based on our deeds, the rest of us ought to be," he declared.

After putting out the Republican-led expulsion motion, D'Esposito made it apparent that the GOP leadership was in agreement that the New York delegation's members ought to be viewed as spearheading the initiative.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was spotted speaking with the New Yorkers for a few minutes before to D'Esposito introducing the expulsion resolution as a counterbalance to one that had been introduced earlier in the day by Democrats. Following the vote, Johnson was on his way to New York to attend fundraising functions alongside many Republicans who had a hand in Santos' removal.

When D'Esposito questioned why a New Yorker was proposing a resolution supported by a Mississippi congressman, he responded that Guest "knew how important it is to New Yorkers, especially us freshmen."

D'Esposito declared, "We flipped seats that are important, that made this majority." "And I believe we should get rid of the stain that is George Santos if we want to keep those seats."

According to a timeline established by state law, a special election for the Santos seat is probably going to take place in mid-to late-February. There's a good likelihood that Democrats will reclaim the seat. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who once served as the district's representative before a failed bid for governor, is among the large field of candidates.

The head of the House Republicans' campaign committee, Rep. Richard Hudson, downplayed the idea that Santos would tarnish other Republicans. According to Hudson, voters' concerns for the upcoming election will include the impact of inflation and the safety of their children in both their schools and surroundings.

According to Hudson, R-N.C., "They are not going to care who used to be the congressman from somewhere nearby."

Democrats, on the other hand, contend that the removal came too little, too late. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Ellie Dougherty claimed that New York Republicans defended Santos for months.

"Whether it’s on Long Island or in the Hudson Valley or Central New York, we’ll make sure voters know who’s responsible for enabling distrust and corruption ahead of next year’s elections — and that’s the Republican Party," she stated.