Dec. 6 (UPI) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul set the special election to fill expelled Rep. George Santos’ House seat for Feb. 13.
Hochul announced the date on Tuesday after Santos, R-N.Y., was expelled from the House on Friday, potentially shrinking the already slim advantage the GOP has in the chamber.
“As governor, I have the solemn responsibility to call a special election to ensure the voters of Long Island and Queens once again have representation in Congress,” Hochul said in a statement.
“Members of Congress provide critical constituent services, serve as a link to federal agencies, and advocate on behalf of the constituents who sent them to Washington. I look forward to working with the next representative for the 3rd Congressional District on the issues facing New Yorkers.”
The House took the rare step of removing Santos from his seat in an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 311-114.
Santos had won the seat with 54% of the vote but shortly after his election, Santos faced revelations that he made false statements about many aspects of his personal and professional lives as well as his educational background.
That led to an investigation where he is now charged with 23 felony counts for alleged misconduct, including wire fraud, identity theft and campaign finance violations as well as a scathing House Ethics Committee report that preceded his expulsion.
The district will not hold a primary election as Nassau and Queens county party leaders will instead select nominees for the seat.
Tom Suozzi, who held the seat before retiring to run for governor in 2022, is expected to be selected as the Democratic candidate, while Republicans are screening a variety of candidates.
