Dem
51
GOP
49
As expected, now-former representative "George Santos" (R-NY) was expelled from the House of Representatives yesterday, following the third attempt at the maneuver by his colleagues.
Back in 1861, three members—John B. Clark, John W. Reid and Henry C. Burnett—were expelled for being Confederate sympathizers. In 1980, Michael J. Myers was expelled after being convicted of taking bribes, and in 2002 Jim Traficant was expelled for the same. That makes "Santos" the first member ever to be expelled for misdeeds so egregious that his colleagues didn't feel the need to wait for the criminal process to play out. It's the latest in a career full of firsts for "Santos," including being the first Major League Baseball player to hit 60 home runs in a season, the first Westerner to visit China, the first person to storm the beaches of France on D-Day and, of course, the first person to figure out that peanut butter and chocolate are a pretty good combo.
After getting tossed out on his ear, "Santos" entered temper-tantrum mode, and refused to talk to reporters. But really, who cares? He's gone either way, and everything that comes out of his mouth is dishonest or inaccurate, so there's really no need to hear from him about what it all means. And if you do care, well, we suspect he'll be selling his first post-expulsion interview to the highest bidder. So, just wait for his upcoming appearance on Extra or TMZ.
The vote was 311 votes (206 Democratic, 105 Republican) to expel, 114 votes (112 Republican, 2 Democratic) to sustain, with two "present" votes and nine members not voting. That means the bar for expulsion was easily cleared; under these circumstances, 280 votes were needed. The two Democrats to support "Santos" were Bobby Scott (VA) and Nikema Williams (GA), while the two "present" votes were Al Green (D-TX) and Jonathan Jackson (IL). All four of those Democrats are Black; you can decide for yourself if that means anything (like, for example, that they might have perceived racial undertones in actions being taken against a Latino congressman). All four members of GOP House leadership, incidentally, voted to sustain "Santos."
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) is a loyal party woman, and there's every chance the Democrats will win the special election in the D+2 NY-03. So, she is going to exercise her authority to call a special election as soon as is practicable. Under New York law, there will be no primary; the local party organs will each choose a candidate to run. The Republicans have a fairly long list of candidates they are considering, none of whom you've ever heard of (unless you're from New York, maybe). The Democrats will likely go with Tom Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before undertaking an quixotic campaign for the governorship of New York. It is expected the special election will take place sometime in February.
Once "Santos'" seat is again filled, then the question will be whether he continues to be an anchor around the neck of his fellow Republicans, particularly his fellow New York Republicans. Politico's Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo argue that the slowness with which "Santos" was held accountable will prove a liability for some members, even if they voted to expel him yesterday. There's also every chance that some members who voted to sustain will come to regret that vote. Indeed, between that and possible redistricting (i.e., gerrymandering), Republicans could end up having a very bad Election Day in New York in 2024. (Z)