George Santos Dodges Second Expulsion Attempt: House Republicans Remain Divided

On Friday, Dec. 1, George Santos was voted out of the House of Representatives by a vote of 311-114, with two members voting present. An overwhelming majority of Democrats voted in favor, while a substantial percentage of Republicans voted against. The move to oust Santos had been pursued and led by local Congressman Nick LaLota for several months, and the Democrats ultimately delivered the outcome he sought.

LaLota was quoted as saying, “By expelling George Santos… my colleagues and I gave Queens and Nassau County voters a chance at fair and honest representation and set a new precedent. The House of Representatives will expel a member of Congress who lies about everything to trick donors and voters and, by doing so, give voters a real opportunity to participate in a non-fraudulent election.”

The implication of this statement is that when a politician lies on the campaign trail, the election is therefore “fraudulent.” Congressman LaLota is correct that such a statement does, in fact, set a new precedent.

Aside from the obvious virtue signaling, the broader question surrounding this move is how it benefits, in any way, the constituents in either LaLota’s or Santos’ districts, which appears to be “not at all.” Santos appears to have lied. Santos has also been indicted on a number of charges relating to the misallocation of campaign finances. The voters in NY-3 and NY-1 elected these individuals, however, to help manage the federal government, promote conservative principles, and help steer federal dollars back to their communities.

The Santos seat was left vacant for three months until a special election could be conducted, and the early indications were that former Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, would easily win that election due to his name recognition and ability to mobilize a campaign so quickly. The practical implication of Santos’ ouster, therefore, was that the voters in NY-3 had no representation for three months and then were likely to have a Democrat representing them in 2024. Meanwhile, the voters in NY-1 saw the already slim Republican majority reduced by one seat, with an additional Democratic vote added to the House, making the advancement of conservative legislation more difficult.

Congressman LaLota did not appear persuaded by concerns over a shrinking Republican majority as he continued to vote with Democrats to pass meaningful legislation through the House. His top priority for months appeared to be the ouster of Santos, and he succeeded with the support of 206 Democrats but only 105 Republicans. This came on the heels of recent budget legislation in which a $2 trillion deficit was approved by the House with 209 Democrats in support and only 127 Republicans voting in favor, including Congressman LaLota.

Republicans in New York State and Suffolk County took great pride in 2022 in helping deliver a Republican-led House, due in large part to the outpouring of support for Lee Zeldin for governor. These new New York members have since voted reliably with Democrats on key legislation and led the effort to remove a Republican congressman from New York, a move that almost certainly resulted in a Democrat taking his place. Santos may have been a liar and may ultimately be convicted in a court of law, but one wonders whether his actions were better or worse for New York Republicans than the actions of LaLota and the other New York members who continue to side with Democrats.