George Santos files new statement of candidacy that allows him to keep raising money
WASHINGTON (WABC) -- Rep. George Santos on Tuesday filed a new statement of candidacy to the Federal Election Commission, indicating he's still a running candidate and can continue to raise campaign funds.
The new filing is in response to a letter from the FEC last month asking Santos to clarify if he's running again in 2024 for him to continue raising money through his principle campaign committee, Devolder-Santos for Congress.
Campaign finance experts say it's common for newly elected members of Congress to immediately declare candidacy again for a new election cycle to continue raising money and that it doesn't necessarily mean that they will for certain run again the following year.
But the new statement of candidacy from Santos is notable because of the unique situation the embattled freshman congressman is in, the experts said.
Earlier this year, Santos lost his longtime treasurer amid questions regarding the source and use of his campaign funds, and his campaign committee has yet to answer numerous questions from the FEC asking to amend irregularities in its filings.
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Federal prosecutors as well as House investigators are also looking into various allegations against Santos.
Last week, Santos said "maybe" when asked if he was considering running for re-election but answered "no" when pressed if he's having discussions about potentially running again.
"Right now, my sole focus is on the legislation that we're going to be rolling out, a series of legislations throughout the next couple of weeks," he said.
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