George Santos Raised NEGATIVE $16,500 In The Third Quarter
Republican George Santos issued more money in refunds than he took in from donors in the third quarter, calling into question his ability to fund a run for reelection next year.
The indicted Congressman’s campaign refunded more than $35,000 to donors between July and September while taking in only $1,704 in new donations, according to his latest campaign finance report. The campaign also spent more than $42,000 over the period, $20,000 of which was classified as legal expenses, leaving Santos with less than $23,000 in his campaign account.
These historically bad fundraising numbers come as Santos faces legal trouble related in part to his handling of campaign funds and past reports with the Federal Election Commission.
Federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment last week to charge Santos with 23 federal charges, including identity theft, money laundering and lying to the FEC.
Santos has repeatedly said that he is still running for reelection and told reporters on Wednesday that he planned to “prove his innocence,” although court documents indicate prosecutors have engaged in plea talks.
Santos’ former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States after prosecutors charged that she signed off on FEC reports that said Santos had made a $500,000 loan to his campaign — even though she knew no such loan existed.
The indicted Congressman’s campaign claimed in formal reports that Santos loaned the campaign more than $700,000 during his 2022 election bid. It remains unclear how much, if any, of that money was actually loaned, but in the second quarter, Santos’ campaign paid him back $85,000 using money raised by donors, though he did not list any loan repayments to himself during the third quarter.
A host of Democratic challengers have jumped into the race to unseat Santos including Nassau County legislator Joshua Lafazan, former State Senator Anna Kaplan, and activist Zak Malamed, all of whom outraised Santos through the end of the second quarter.
