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Santos to run for Congress again

Former congressman vying for GOP U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota’s seat

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2 years ago

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Former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) (Washington Blade photo by Christopher Kane)

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos of New York, who was the first out LGBTQ Republican elected to Congress and one of only three members who was expelled by their colleagues for reasons other than supporting the Confederacy’s rebellion, has announced a bid to return to Congress.

As a former member, he retains lifetime access to the U.S. House chamber, and therefore was able to declare his run for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday night.

Santos’s announcement came in a post on X, which began by criticizing the president’s speech. “I just witnessed a weak, frail president deliver spin and lies to the American people,” he wrote, and decided to run again “after a lot of prayer and conversation with my friends and family.”

The former congressman then traded barbs in posts on X with LaLota, who had called for Santos’s expulsion from the time it was first revealed that he had fabricated much of his personal and professional history.

After Santos was handed a 23-count federal indictment for fraud in October, LaLota joined the renewed effort to oust him, which on Dec. 1 led to a 311-114 vote for expulsion. His criminal trial in Long Island is scheduled to begin in September. He has pleaded not guilty.

Santos and LaLota will face off in the Republican primary election for New York’s First Congressional District on June 25.

“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 wrote in a post on X. “If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.”

Santos’s former district, New York’s 3rd, which covers the North Shore of Long Island, stretching across northern Nassau County and into parts of Queens, is competitive.

Following the expulsion vote, a special election was held on Feb. 13, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi reclaimed the seat that he held from 2002 to 2009 before losing to Republican Ed Mangano — who, incidentally, was convicted of bribery and fraud in 2019 and is now serving a 12-year prison sentence.

Likewise, LaLota’s district, New York’s 1st, which is located in eastern Long Island, has been a swing district since 2010. NPR notes that “Santos’ lingering presence in New York politics might be a reminder to voters that he won office with strong backing from many of the state’s most influential GOP officials.”

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Congress

HRC president campaigns for Chris Pappas in NH

Gay congressman running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

Published

1 hour ago

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August 31, 2026

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Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson speaks at the group's 2025 National Dinner in D.C. She campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire on Aug. 30, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson on Sunday campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire.

Robinson traveled to Manchester, the state’s largest city, nine days before the Sept. 8 primary that will determine who will vie for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)’s seat.

Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009, will face off against former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010-2013, in the Republican primary.

Karishma Manzur is among the Democrats challenging Pappas.

A poll the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released on Aug. 26 shows Sununu is ahead of Brown. The same survey shows Pappas ahead of Manzur and his other Democratic challengers.

The UNH Survey Center poll shows Sununu ahead of Pappas by a 45-43 percent margin if they were to face off in the general election. The margin of error is +/-2.1 percent.

Pappas would become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate if he were to win in November.

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Congress

Chris Van Hollen says the Democratic Party needs change. Is he the one to lead it?

Senator is backing anti-establishment Democrats across the country

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5 days ago

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August 26, 2026

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By LEE O. SANDERLIN | The Democratic Party is having something of an identity crisis — losing to President Donald Trump twice in three elections will do that.

Should the party embrace anti-establishment figures who espouse progressive policy ideas like Medicare for all and rhetoric about unrigging the economy for the 1 percent? Or should Democrats try to appeal to moderates who want to return to semi-normalcy in a time of political upheaval?

Although he’s been in Congress since 2002, with key leadership roles throughout his tenure, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, 67, counts himself firmly in the anti-establishment camp.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

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Congress

House blocks effort to codify transgender servicemember ban into law

Lawmakers approved two anti-trans NDAA amendments

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1 month ago

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July 22, 2026

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The Pentagon (Photo by icholakov/Bigstock)

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have codified a ban transgender servicemembers in the military.

The bipartisan vote was 212-217.

The NDAA is for the 2027 fiscal year and sets policies for the Defense Department programs and activities and the national security programs of the Department of Energy.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) proposed the amendment on July 21. It stated that all personnel are required to serve in accordance with their biological sex, citing military readiness and discipline.

Human Rights Campaign Senior Director of Government Affairs Jennifer Pike Bailey stated that she is grateful for the bipartisan vote that rejected President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “dangerous and discriminatory policy that has kicked brave transgender servicemembers out of the military and weakened our national security.”

“Everyone who meets the same rigorous standards should be able to serve their country. We should honor that patriotism, particularly in this moment where we are witnessing brave servicemembers making the ultimate sacrifice for our country, instead of ending their careers and politicizing their existence. We’re grateful that a permanent extension of this ban failed, and we will keep fighting to reverse this senseless policy,” Bailey said.

Mark Takano, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, stated that he and his members put in countless hours of work to kill the amendment.

“When Americans know they or their families are going to be targeted by or not supported by the military, that leads them to avoid signing up to serve or staying in the service — making it harder to keep the ranks of the armed services full and our nation safe. My colleagues in the Equality Caucus and I will continue working to prevent these attacks on our servicemembers and their families from becoming law,” Takano said.

According to the Congressional Equality Caucus, two other bills could potentially be passed that would also target the transgender community, both of which were proposed by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

The first was a bill that would have prohibited gender-related medical care under TRICARE and to prevent TRICARE from covering certain gender-related medical procedures and treatments, which was approved in a vote of 219-208.

The second was a bill that would have prohibited male participation in female sports at DoDEA schools. DoDEA schools are Department of Defense Dependents Schools, which is a network of primary and secondary schools.

The amendment was approved in a vote of 221-203. 

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