Rep. George Santos files 2024 statement of candidacy — but it doesn’t mean he’s running for reelection

Embattled Republican Representative George Santos of New York took a step on Tuesday toward a possible bid for a second term in the House, where he is currently under investigation.

Santos campaign filed statement of candidacy for the 2024 election cycle with the Federal Electoral Commission, a move that could signal the new MP’s intention to run for re-election.

But the filing does not guarantee Santos, who has been denounced by some in his own party and embroiled in a flurry of investigations, will seek another term in Congress. After winning his seat, The New York Times reported that Santos appeared to have fabricated key details of his background. He later admitted to lying about his biography while campaigning for office.

Santos was required to fill out the form by Tuesday’s deadline in order to keep some of his campaign contributions and continue fundraising after the 2022 cycle. The FEC warned last month that Santos would either have to formally announce his candidacy or “discontinue” his fundraising activities.

“It doesn’t mean he’s running — it means his campaign committee is raising money,” Brendan Quinn, senior communications manager for the Campaign Legal Center, told CNBC in an email.

Santos’s re-election plans remain opaque. He Allegedly told Republican leaders in New York late last year that he would not seek another term in office, but has adopted a more defiant tone since entering Congress and Allegedly Started telling people that he will run again.

“The campaign team for Rep. Santos has filed its statement of candidacy as required by the FEC,” Santos said in a statement shared with CNBC via a text from Congressional Counsel Joseph Murray. “There will be no further comment today.”

Santos was sworn into Congress earlier this year under a cloud of scandal, after a bombshell New York Times report called into question key details about his personal and professional life. Santos later admitted to “embellishing” his resume but denied other wrongdoing. As Santos came under more scrutiny, more damning allegations surfaced, including that he worked with funds raised for a disabled veteran’s dying dog and, most recently, that he was involved in a credit card skimming scandal. was involved in Plan, Santos has denied both allegations.

Earlier this month, the House ethics panel appointed a subcommittee to investigate whether Santos engaged in illegal campaign activity, and whether he violated federal conflict of interest laws. The subcommittee is also investigating an allegation of sexual misconduct by a former volunteer on its staff.

Santos has been inundated with calls for his resignation, including from top New York Republicans in Santos’ Nassau County-area congressional district and some GOP members of Congress. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who leads a slim Republican majority in his chamber, has not joined those calls.

Santos has vowed to serve out his full term, saying the voters in his district should have the final say on whether he stays in Congress or leaves. a siena college vote Polls taken in January found Santos’ constituents overwhelmingly want him to resign.

Meanwhile, Santos recused himself from the two House committees to which he was assigned, until the “distraction” of multiple investigations into his campaign and personal finances subsided.